The Evolution series
by Serena10
Summary: X-Over with X-Men the movie. Was first written as a series, but I decided that each story would be a chapter. Willow's adventures as a mutant.
1. Wildcat

Prologue  
  
Sunnydale - November 2000  
  
It's 9 o'clock in the morning. First period is on : gym class. Students pair up for an auto-defense class. Cordelia is with Xander, Willow with Buffy (Larry didn't want to try it again with her). But those 4 friends were discussing about an other matter.  
  
"Giles want us to join him in the library after class," Buffy said. "I talked to him this morning and he was quite disturbed. He was really freaky : totally un-Giles like."  
  
"I wonder what disturbed him so much."  
  
"I don't know, Xan," Buffy answered. "I guess it could be all those mutants that decided to let the world know of their presence. Giles told me he didn't like it."  
  
"I don't know," Willow said. "I find them courageous to admit that they are different. People just freak out because they don't know anything about them."  
  
"Will, they don't know anything about demons and stuff and I'm sure they would freak out if they ever find out about what goes bump in the night. Demons are from hell. But those mutants are humans and most of them are more dangerous than vampires."  
  
Suddenly, Harmony bumped into the Slayer. "Watch out where you walk freak-girl."  
  
Willow turned toward the snob to defend her friend. "I think it's you who walked in her."  
  
"I wasn't talking to you geek!"  
  
"Fashion victim!"  
  
"Waste of place!"  
  
"Bleached brain!"  
  
"Totally undesirable nerd who was dumped by her boyfriend that found her useless and a complete waste of time." Harmony plastered a big smile on her face that told everyone she had win.  
  
That was pure cruelty for Willow, especially when the remark came from that blond bimbo. But instead of hidding her emotions as usual, it started to boiled. As the snob walked away, Xander and Buffy understood something was wrong. Normally, the red head would have just ignore her and turn away, but something was different this time : Willow wasn't controlling herself. She walked steadily in the same direction Harmony took.   
  
When she arrived just behind her back, the blond turned around and watched her with a look of distaste. "What do you want? To be insulted again, loser?"   
  
WHAM!  
  
Harmony screamed. The teacher looked at where the call was from. Willow was shaking in rage and fear and Harmony was crying in pain on the floor. When she came closer, she notice that the red head was looking fearfully at her hand. Coming closer to her, she saw claws. That's when Harmony looked up, her face bathered in blood because of the wounds.  
  
Willow backed up until she reached the wall. She didn't know what happened. One moment she was advancing toward the blond girl in the intention to smack her good, the other minute, her nails were extending into claws.   
  
Not hearing her friends call to her, she ran out of the gym, out of the school toward the Rosenberg's house. She should have stayed with Buffy and Xander and Giles and... well Cordelia. But they wouln'd have understand. She wasn't one of them anymore.   
  
She was a mutant.  
  
Part 1  
  
New York - March 2001  
  
Willow slammed the car's door. "This thing just has to break down in the middle of the night!" She screamed in rage. Knowing the car was just good to be shredded into little pieces, she took her bag and started to walk.  
  
The morning she had run back home, she had packed some souvenirs, a bit of clothes and her computer. She had taken the bus to San Francisco. Her first choice had been Los Angeles, but knowing her luck, she would have run into Angel. She had stayed there two months, living in motels and changing jobs every weeks or so. In January, she had decided to go to the Maine, but had finally landed in New York. There she was.  
  
During those 3 months, Willow had explored her mutant powers. She now knew that the claws appeared because she could change into an animal, a wildcat. She had noticed this when, in a fit of rage, she had looked in the mirror. What looked at her was a girl with claws, the yellow eyes of a cat, and a bit of fur. At first, she thought she was a werewolf, but she discovered it couln't be true when she didn't change at full moon. She also discovered she had an extraordinary healing capacity. And that heightened sense of vision at night? That was great.  
  
Willow looked up as she came face to face with wall of brick. The moon showed her a sign near the entrance.  
  
CHARLES XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS  
  
The famous lightbulb appeared above Willow's head. "Well, I could always enrole myself in a school. I have some savings and I just have to hide the fact that I am a mutant. Anyway, I'm talented in computers. Yeah, that's a great idea!" Willow had started to talk to herself a few weeks after leaving Sunnydale. She felt alone and needed to talk to someone. She finally choose herself as a friend.  
  
Crossing the gateway, she made her way to the front door. In her ideas, it was the perfect schoolyard. It was great outside. It had trees and flowers, some benches, a river, a basketball court? And the school? It was a castle with beautiful walls and furniture. "How to not like this place?" Willow whispered to herself.  
  
She finally found some place to hide and sleep until the sun rises again. She closed her eyes and hoped she could live here.  
  
* * *  
  
Charles looked up from his desk : someone was knocking on his door. Rolling to it, he opened it to find a girl with an aura of a mutant standing outside, waiting patiently to be invited in. Smiling to her, he rolled back to his desk.  
  
Willow was a bit nervous. Here she was, ready to enrol in a private school, demanding herself if she had enough strenght to hide her "other side". But she was feeling at peace here and that man gave her confidence. "My name is Willow..." she hesitated, "...Jamieson. My parents decided to move near my grand-mother's house. They sent me away earlier to chose a school. My car broke down a few miles from here and I stumbled on your front door. So I decided to come see the principal for further informations."   
  
Charles looked attentively at the girl. Apparently, she had invented all that story. She probably didn't know it was a school for mutants like her. Well, he'd give her the chance to discover it by herself. "I'm professor Charles Xavier. I created this school to give gifted youngsters the chance to perform in their specific talent. This is a public school so no need to pay. We just have a very hard test to admit someone in. What is your talent, Willow?"  
  
"Well, I'm very good with computers. Actually, I'm..hum...a hacker. And believe me, I'm damn good at it." She liked it more here within each passing hour. This M. Xavier was fantastic. And the cherry on the top? No need to pay the admission.  
  
"So, are you interested?"  
  
"Actually, that's the most interesting school I've found out. When could I take the test?"  
  
"Now." He lead her to the computer room next door. Noone was there. [ Good. That will give me a chance to prevent the X-Men and the students not to give away the punch. ] He placed her in front of one of the monitor. "Show me your hacking ability."  
  
[ That's the test? Oh boy! ] With a smile, Willow played with the board like a pianist play piano. She finally cracked the last code. "There."  
  
Charles looked at her, surprised. That little red head had penetrated in the FBI files! "Well, I think you have no doubt what my verdict is. You're fantastic, Willow. Come on. I'll show you you're room."  
  
* * *  
  
The same night, Charles called all the X-Men in his office. When they were all seated (except Logan who was standing near the door), he started to explain them the situation. "Have you dicovered something different in the school?"  
  
Suddenly standing straight, Logan said, "Yeah, there's a new scent around here."  
  
Charles smiled. "We have a new student. Her name is Willow Jamieson... and it's probably not her real name. She told me some invented story, enrolled in the school... and have absolutely no idea that this is a school for mutants. I want her to discover by herself. I'd like you to go in the rooms to pass out the message." When they were all out, he went back to his bedroom and fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
That morning, Willow was a busy bee. First, she took a shower, got dressed and went to the cafeteria to take something to eat. She was quite happy to discover it was early and that no students were out of bed yet. After that, she gave herself the opportunity to visits some classrooms. When she noticed it was waking up hour for everybody, she hide in her room for about 1 hour, right until the time the bell rang. She got out and almost ran to professor Xavier's office. He was waiting for her right there with her schedule.  
  
"Normally, I give the physics class, Willow. I had a free period this morning. I'll show you the first room. After that, I'm sure you could ask someone your directions. You'll see it's small groups in class. I'm pretty sure you'll make friends very fast."  
  
Willow heard the word friends and forgot about everything else. She could have friends again. When she entered in the classroom, all the eyes turned on her. For a moment, the old Willow came back as well as her shyness. Turning her head, she met the eyes of the martial arts teacher. Then she notice the great hair, the great mouth, the great shoulders, those great hands, etc. Buffy saying : A fixation on insignificant detail is a definite crush sign. [Insignificant? Yeah, like that great body is insignificant...]  
  
"Willow?"  
  
"Oops, sorry. I was lost in the space. You were saying?"  
  
"This is Logan. He's going to teach you the basics of martial arts. Have a good day."  
  
Taking place on the floor between two students, Willow forced her mind to come back to reality. [No time for spaceout, Will.] Turning her head to her right side, a seventeen years old girl smiled at her. She had long brown hair and two striking white spots of hair on the front. "Hi, I'm Mary."  
  
"I'm Willow. Nice to meet you." Willow was surprised. In Sunnydale, it would have take several weeks before being talked to. If you are dressed as a geek, you get insulted by the snobs. If you are dressed as a snob, nerds don't see you and you've got a series of tests to be accepted by other snobs. If you dress like Willow did at the moment, darkly, you get ignored for an undetermined mount of time. Here, people were friendly.   
  
She would have friends.  
  
Part 2  
  
After the martial arts class, Willow stayed with Mary. It was the first time she spoke to a friend in three months. "Mary, could you help me? I'm a bit lost."  
  
"Sure, what is your next class?"  
  
"Biology."  
  
"That's with Dr Jean Grey. I'm in this class too. Actually, I"m in the lab most of the time. I'm... interested in physiology and energy. You'll see. She's great." They walked together to the laboratory. "Hi, Jean."  
  
"Hello, Mary. You must be Willow. Welcome to the lab." Jean remembered what Xavier had said. So, without giving her the "punch", she decided to do a little test. Waiting for the students to calm down, she walked to the blackboard. "Calm down everyone. Today, we're going to study a particularly difficult and disturbing chapter in biology : mutation." She observed Willow at that moment. The girl couldn't have bigger eyes and be more attentive. [Yep, she is definitly a mutant.]   
  
* * *  
  
The first day was the most exausting. Willow went to bed early, trying to absorb everything she had learn and everyone she had met that day. First of all, her new friend, Mary. Intelligent, curious, charming smile, a bit shy and that weird habit of hers to wear gloves everywhere. At lunch time, she had presented her her boyfriend Bobby. Polite, definitly wonderful, a real gentleman. She didn't really had time to meet other students. But Mary had assured her there wasn't many other people to meet that was around seventeen. Most of them were twelve. As for the teachers, she new almost everyone of them. Jean Grey was a beautiful lady. Intelligent, always seems to be in control of situation, dating that hunk Scott... "Focus, Willow." Scott was the mecanics teacher. Interested in what in teach, concentred, calm, but a bit too stoic. Ororoe. [What a weird name.] She's the specialist of chemistry. [Maybe an experiment made her hair turn white.] Explain simply, everybody listen to her, noone understand a thing. Professor Xavier was clear, simple. No other words. But Willow's favorite one, Logan. [O.K. gotta work with the sense of humor, but absolutely gorgeous!]  
  
The second day was a riot compared to the first one. Willow understood that the adults teached more than one subject.   
  
The third day, she was in an already deep friendship with Mary. The girl was fantastic. She had admited to Willow that once, she had had a crush on Logan. The red head understood her too well. They had spend their lunch hour together, trading childhood histories. None of the two spoke about the recents adventures. Sometimes, Bobby would join them after class. They would then spend the night talking and laughing. Willow was happy. About that she was sure.   
  
The only thing that could make her feel a bit sad, was that she couldn't talk to her new friends about her biggest problem. They would hate her for sure and professor Xavier would probably kick her out.   
  
Fourth day was now on and almost finished. The last class was english and Willow had happily saluted Ororoe when she had learned Mary was in this class with her. When the class started, Willow installed herself comfortably in her chair and listened, chewing on her pencil. She had discovered that she had that habit of chewing things... discovered it like one day before she looked into the mirror to find the two elongated canines of a wildcat. She had been almost has surprised when she willed them to retract and they did just that.   
  
[I'm bored. Totally bored.] She started to scratch the desk with her nails, make her fingers play across the desk, scratch her nails, make her...  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
Willow turned her head to find Mary starring at her hand. Looking down, she realized it wasn't nails at the end of her fingers. But claws. Jerking away from the desk, Willow lifted herself from the chair and ran out of the room. She ran and ran until she reached her room. Yanking the door open, she took the bag out from under her bed and packed her things quickly. Hearing footsteps coming her way, she decided the window was a safer escape than the front door.  
  
Jumping out in the still cold hair of April, she wished she had come to New York a bit later. It was still cold outside and she didn't know how far was the next habitation. Feeling someone a bit too close for her like, she let the wildcat in her emerge. She took her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she made a wild dash to the gateway. Stepping outside of the yard, she allowed herself a little break, than the cat pushed her legs to run faster than a human could. She was now a predator that was in danger to be discovered. She had to get as far as possible from that school...  
  
...and forget her friends once again.  
  
* * *   
  
Without a warning, the door of his office was opened. Charles looked up from his desk to find his oldest students come in. "What is it, Storm?"   
  
Ororoe stepped closer to him. "Your plan kind of...didn't work out. Rogue saw her claws. Willow knows she saw it and ran out of the mansion with her bag. She's in the woods."  
  
Charles turned to Logan. He knew Willow was interested in him and maybe it was a bit reciprocated. "Wolverine, go in the woods and find her. Try to make her come back."  
  
With that, Wolverine went out of the office but was stopped by Scott's voice. "Don't take my motorcycle this time."  
  
"In the woods? Yeah, like I'd like to kill myself," Wolverine muttered. He took his coat and stepped out in the late afternoon air. Knowing she must have at least 15 minutes start ahead of him, he pushed his legs to maximum speed imediatly. After 20 minutes of running, he took time to rest. Seeting on the ground, he let his mind go freely. [Come on, she can't have gone so much away.] Then, his nose picked up her scent. Suddenly feeling enough rested, he stood up and stepped back in the chase. "Better hide, little red ridding hood, because de big bad wolf is coming."  
  
* * *  
  
Willow wasn't aware of the mutant following her. She was too preocupied to try to know if someone was following her. It was when it was too late that she realized she should have been more attentive. She felt down on the ground when someone bumped into her...hard. Looking up, she met Logan's eyes. Willow growled, "What do you want? To insult me just like that bimbo Harmony? Just leave me alone." With that, she walked away.  
  
Logan slammed her into a nearby tree. "Wake up! You're not in a dream, it's reality. I don't know who this Harmony is and I don't care. The only thing I know is that the professor is worried and told me to come after you."  
  
"He probably just want to give me to the autorities to have "forgotten" to tell him I was a mutant. Now get out of my way if you don't want me to shred you into little pieces." She pushed him hard.  
  
Logan had enough. He lost control on his basic instincts. Standing up, the adamantium claws got out of his hands. Wolverine had awakened.  
  
Willow couldn't get past the claws. "Goddess, you're one too." She felt the anger leave her body : the canines retracted as well as the claws, the fur disapeared as well as the yellow tint in her eyes. She fell on the ground.  
  
Wolverine retracted the claws and came close to her. "You're not alone, Willow or whatever your name is. Why do you think the professor let you come in the school without asking you a billion questions?" Willow looked up in surprise. "That right. He's a mutant as well as the rest of the school. Each one of the teachers are mutants called X-Men. And the students? Your friend Mary absorb energy from people she touches and her boyfriend Bobby control the ice. They are worried senseless. So, what do you say? Should I let you go away or would you like to back with me?"  
  
Willow didn't have to think twice. Here she was, running away from a school where no matter what you were, they understood you. She had friends who had known all long that she was a mutant and hadn't batted an eye. And she wanted to go away? What a joke! She took Wolverine's hand and let him pull her up. Smiling at him, they walked toward the school in silence.  
  
Finally, she had found someone to understand her.  
  
Part 3  
  
Knock knock knock  
  
"Come in! Ah, Willow. Welcome back."   
  
Willow smiled shyly at the professor. She was starting to wonder what she was thinking when ran out of the school. "Sorry for having left like that. I just thought..."  
  
"I know. You thought I was angry at you to have hide your little secret. I know you're questionning yourself about how I know that and how I knew you were a mutant. I'm psychic. I can read minds, I can control them, and I am telepath. Come with me." Charles got out of his office, Willow following with Wolverine at her side. He led her to an elevator hidden in the wall.  
  
[How come I didn't discovered this sooner?]   
  
One floor below, Charles gave her the tour of the real school. Willow saw a laboratory and a medical center. Jean was there and the red head learned that the doctor was born with the gift of telekenesy. Ororoe was there too. She soon discovered that everybody called her Storm and that she control the elements of meteo. The next thing she visited was the second basement. It was a garage, [if you can call it like that.] Willow looked astonished at that kind of modern plane. Scott, or Cyclops as you prefer, was there. She had always wondered why he was always wearing red sunglasses. Now she had the answer. Because of these beams he couldn't control.   
  
By the end of the visit, Willow was exausted. It had been a hard day for her. She had learn more today than any day in her life. Even more than when she was research girl back in Sunnydale...that was a totally different secret. But she knew she wouldn't be able to tell them tonight. She was too tired. She'd have to talk to the X-Men tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. And she did just that.  
  
* * *  
  
"Logan."  
  
He turned around to find Storm coming his way. "The professor wants us in his office. Willow came to him this morning with an other secret to tell us." He didn't take time to groan or anything. Willow wanted to tell them something and he wanted to hear it.   
  
A few minutes later, all the X-Men were in the office, waiting for Willow to start. She told them about vampires, her friends Xander and Buffy, the Slayer and the Watcher, the hellmouth, her discoveries about being a mutant. All that time, they were all quiet, not wanting to disturb her from her history.   
  
When she was finished, Willow looked at all the faces one by one, not knowing what to expect from them. At her surprise, they took it very well. They had seen weird things in their life and they wouldn't start to denied some weirder facts.   
  
Charles was proud of her. She had let her guard and doubts down to tell them her life. She trusted them and that pleased him to no end. It was obvious, she was happy to have told them. Probably got rid of some weight of her shoulders. Seeing she was fidgeting, he let her go. He knew she had some things to discuss with her friends.  
  
Willow went out, trying to find...Rogue as they called her. But someone stopped her. Turning around, she found herself nose to nose with Wolverine. "Hey, thanks for telling us all that stuff. You trusted us and that means something to me."  
  
"No, thanks to you for slamming me into a tree and making me see the reality. If you hadn't follow me, where the hell could I be by now?"  
  
Wolverine smiled at her and bend down to give her a light kiss. Than he gave her a small push outside. "Come on. Someone can't wait to see you, Wildcat." He then walked back to his classroom.  
  
Willow smiled at his back. [Hum, Wildcat. I like that.]  
  
* * *  
  
"And he called you Wildcat?"  
  
"Yeah. I just love it," Willow answered.  
  
"I bet you are," Rogue gigled. "He could have given you any other nickname and you would have liked it."   
  
Willow was glad she and Rogue had resolved their problems. The week before, they had talked for 5 hours straight about anything and everything. She had learn about Rogue's first kiss, her first meeting with Wolverine, her love with Bobby, Iceman as she called him sometimes. Then, Willow would talk about the Slayerettes, the incident in the school gym with Harmony. Then they would talk about what a great guy was Wolverine. It was normally around that time that Bobby would go to the bathroom to escape the conversation. Willow had laugh the first time it had happened.   
  
Bobby saw Rogue and Wildcat talk under one of the trees near the river. Walking slowly toward them, he tried to make less noises as possible. But he knew Willow would discover him soon enough because of those damn senses of hers.  
  
Willow felt Iceman sneek on them. She winked at Rogue and let lose her claws and canines. Her friend gave her a weird look but said nothing. When she felt the poor guy close enough, she jumped on her feet and "BOO!" The two girls laughed like there was no tomorrow when they saw Iceman's face turning white. His look was priceless.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, you scared me. So, what are my two favorite pals talking about?"  
  
"We were talking about what a great ass Wolverine has," Willow said inocently. "Just joking Mr. Freeze."  
  
"You're not gonna let go that ridiculous nickname, are you?"  
  
"Nope." The red head gave him a smile. "Well, I'll just let you two lovebirds snuggle a bit. I've got homeworks to do. See you later!"  
  
"Bye Wildcat!" Rogue said.  
  
At the entrance of the mansion, Willow turned around and looked at her friends. Yes, she, Wildcat, a mutant, had friends and parents she never had.  
  
She was home.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Sunnydale - May 2002  
  
Buffy was slammed hard in a tombstone. Standing up quickly, she punched the vampire away, but another one jumped on her. She was seriously outnumbered. Turning toward her friends, she saw they weren't better than her. Xander was struggling with a vampire, Cordelia was screaming her head out and Giles was trying to stake one with no success.  
  
Suddenly, a vampire was hit by some kind of red beam of light. Nearby, a tree was it by lightning and felt on a vampire, crushing him. The weirdess was that there was no clouds of storm, just a clear sky and some stars. One of the vampire tried to jump on Giles, but he stayed in the air like he was floating and ended up flying on a tree branch. When he turned into dust, the other bloodsuckers ran away like a bunch of scared kittens. Turning around, the Slayerettes saw a whole gang of weird people standing near a mausoleum. But what catched their eyes was the small silhouette with red hair standing by their side.  
  
The Wildcat was back in Sunnydale. 


	2. Battle Mode

Part 1  
  
Flashback on Wildcat's epilogue  
  
Turning around, the Slayerettes saw a whole gang of weird people standing near a mausoleum. But what caught their eyes was the small silhouette with red hair standing by their side.  
  
The Wildcat was back in Sunnydale.  
  
* * *  
  
"Willow!" Xander looked at the girl, no, woman in front of him. She had changed so much. The last picture he got of her, she had looked like the innocent teenager he had always known. Now, he was seing a beautiful nineteen year old girl. She was a mutant, a fighter. She wasn't as dependant as before. But in her eyes, he saw a part of the old Willow. She hadn't change that much. She was just more confident and responsible.  
  
Giles was more in control of his emotions. He did saw Willow, but also a bunch of mutants with her. Their was two other ones next to her, a blond guy and a brown haired girl. [Probably her friends.]   
  
Willow wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to embrace them at the same time of running the opposite way. It had been 18 months since the last time she had seen them.   
  
Buffy didn't let her time to choose. The Slayer ran to her old friend and took her in her arms. "Oh, Willow. It's so good to see you. I missed you terribly. Why didn't you phone me? How are you? Who are your new friends?"  
  
That was enough. Bobby bursted into laughing. Willow turned toward him, a little smile and a cocked eyebrow. "What are you laughing at Mr. Freeze?" Hearing her calling him that, he stopped. "Thanks." Willow turned back to Buffy. "It's nice to see you too." Giving her a smile, she looked at her childhood friend. After all that time, he hadn't learn : he was still with Cordelia.  
  
Jean saw an older man standing apart from the teenagers. Walking to him she asked, "M. Giles? I've learn you are the Watcher. Do you have a place we can go to talk privatly?"  
  
Giles was surprise to be called a watcher. Then he remembered, "Willooow!"  
  
"Oops! Sorry Giles. She's psychic so she would have found out anyway."  
  
Buffy picked up the conversation rapidly. Her Watcher wasn't very social. "Come on. This way. We're going to Giles house." And the group composed of mutants and Slayerettes walked to the "base".  
  
* * *  
  
"So, what brings you here?" Giles asked Willow.  
  
The red haired girl sat down on the couch next to Wolverine. "I'm sure you've heard about that mutant Magneto."  
  
Xander, coming back from the kitchen, jumped in the conversation. "Is he the one that nearly killed everyone near liberty island?"  
  
"Yeah that's him. He escaped last week from his plastic cage. I don't know how so don't ask," Willow added seing Cordelia trying to cut her. "The professor has contacts around the world and he knows Magneto's in Sunnydale."  
  
That was Buffy's department. That big evil mutant was coming to her town and she wasn't going to let him take it as his personal amusement park. The Master has been destroyed, Angelus hadn't win his game and even the mayor was part of Sunnydale's history book. "Just tell me where this mutant is and I'm going to kick his ass," the Slayer simply said.  
  
Willow exchanged a look with Rogue. "Buffy, listen to me, oK?" she asked. "I wouldn't have come to SunnyHell if I knew you could handle it. It's not a stake that is going to get rid of him. That's why I'm not alone to warn you. Last time, it took all the X-Men and a major participation by lady luck to take down Magneto. I needed some back up here. That mission is part of my training. I'm not in total control of my powers yet and I need some grown ups to help me do the job. Do you understand?"  
  
Buffy nodded, a bit disapointed. She knew Willow would not tell her that in less it was strickly the truth.   
  
Cordelia raised her hand, trying to get attention. "Sorry to interupt you but...maybe this guy just escaped to have some peace and live quietly for the rest of his life."  
  
Willow glared at her. "Seriously, Cordy, if you could have a chance to go anywhere in the world to have some peace, would you go on the Hellmouth? That's what I thought."  
  
Storm, knowing Wildcat was about to loose control, took her place to explain the rest of the story. "The professor told us he was looking for a mutant in this town. This mutant could be the key to a whole lot of things. We have the mission to find this mutant in danger and fight Magneto off."  
  
Giles finally stepped out of his stupor. He standed up and walked toward Cyclops. "And you're just going to let those kids play in the middle of this war?" he asked, pointing toward Willow, Rogue and Bobby. "I think you have no rights about that. They are not able to fight off evils. They are tennagers. You maybe think you're superior because of genetic and..."  
  
Giles was suddenly slammed into the wall. Before he could move, a wildcat hand gripped his neck. "Once, you may have been the father I never had," Willow told him. "But today, you are just as insignificant as linoleum is to me. So, instead you want to see how "helpless" I am, I suggest you shut your mouth good."  
  
"Wildcat, calm down. Let the Watcher go," Wolverine told her gently. Slowly, he approached her and took her arm, taking her away from the old man. He led her to the couch and made her sit. When Willow was calmer, he made his way back to the trembling man. He let the calws go out and put them near Giles' face. "If you make her loose control like that again, I'll ripe your neck open with no second thoughts." He turned around and took Willow's arm. "Let's go before we let him see what those "kids" can do."  
  
Xander watched as the X-Men left the house. "Well, Bravo Giles." He took his bag and exited the door, a shaken Cordelia and an angry Slayer following him.  
  
Part 2  
  
"I can't believe him! The Council is often playing "let's make a deal" with demons and other hellmouthy things and he has the guts to threaten mutants, who are humans only with a different genetic code then his." Willow paced in the kitchen. She took a large knife and started chopping some vegetables for the dinner. "I'll show him, mister I'm-the-watcher-I'm-the-boss. I am not a kid! I can take care of myself!"  
  
Wolverine entered in the kitchen, not aware of the inner battle between Willow and herself. "Wildcat!"  
  
The red head growled and turned around, missing Logan's arm with the knife. "What?"  
  
"First of all, drop the knife."  
  
"Like hell!"  
  
Wolverine catched her wrist and squeezed it. The knife fell on the floor. "Come on, Will! You're better than that!" Willow finally relaxed her arms. She looked at her lover in sadness. "Don't look at me like that! You deserved it. Now, your old friends are in the lounge. They want to see you."  
  
Willow gave him a small smile of regret and kissed him. She then went to see the old Scooby Gang.  
  
* * *  
  
"So Willow, what have you been doing since you left?" Buffy asked, a bit troubled by Rogue and Iceman's presences. She had often wondered where her friend had run after slapping Harmony. After a few months, she had resigned herself that Willow wasn't coming back to Sunnydale. And then, there she was, standing next to her new friends in the cemetery, saving her and the slayerettes' lifes.  
  
"Well, I travelled around the US for some time, but everything really started when my car broked down in New York." Then, Willow proceeded to tell her what had happened the first time she talked to Charles Xavier and Rogue, how she felt when meeting the fabulous martial arts teacher, how she reacted to the revelation of the true nature of Xavier's school.   
  
Xander was captivated by the story. He finally knew what his childhood friend had been going through. He was feeling a bit guilty about it. She had been needing and he hadn't been there to gave her his support. But seing her smile to her lover or her new friends, he knew she was happy and that she didn't regreted running away to New York. She was happy then so was he.  
  
As for Cordelia, she started to feel bad for the red head. She did had to go all through this. She had a new found respect for the girl. She now showed that she wasn't just a little innocent nerd and that she could date hunk. [Look at that Wolverine.] And for sure, seing that bimbo Harmony scarced for life was sheering her up.  
  
"Hey, I got an idea!" Buffy exclaimed. "Why don't we all go to the movies? Some kind of big friendship date? That way, Xander, Cordy and I could better learn about Rogue and Iceman and vice versa." They all agreed. So together, they left the X-Men's house, walking to the movie theatre. They had to stop for a few minutes when they stumbled on some vamps...but the bloodsuckers didn't last long with three mutants, two slayerettes and a slayer against them. The bunch of teenagers continued their walk to their final destination.  
  
* * *  
  
"That was great!"  
  
"Typical guy," Rogue said. "They see a little flesh and they go completly gaga, drooling on themself."  
  
Cordelia couln'd help but laugh. They had just seen Coyote Ugly. She had to admit it was a good movie, but Rogue was right. Xander and Iceman had been drooling since the beginning of the movie.   
  
Willow looked at her once enemy, Cordelia Chase. She had changed and not just a little bit. She seemed more friendly and less snob. She had noticed that Queen C truly liked Rogue. The two girls liked talking to each other. As for Buffy and Xander, it seemed they had bonded with Bobby. The Slayer was usually bonding fast with boys and her childhood friend relished in the fact that he had another guy to talk with. She didn't see Mr Freeze resisting very much. He was quite happy to talk about sports and women instead of hearing the girls talk about girlie things and ending up commenting about Wolverine's ass.  
  
They were so engrossed in their conversations that they never saw it coming.  
  
A small group of vampires and mutants jumped out from a nearby alley. Rogue imediatly recognized Mystique in the middle of them. "I thought we got rid of you, Smurf," she said, eyeing the blue woman. As an answer, the shapechanger kicked her hard. Iceman was furious. He grabed the woman by the arm and swung her into a wall. He picked Rogue up and Wildcat joined them into a fighting stance.  
  
Not far from there, Buffy, Xander and Cordelia had four vampires on their arms. "Seems like you guys need mutants for battle now," Buffy taunted. "What's the matter? To weak to fight by yourself?" she added with a wicked grin. The vampires growled and one of them attacked Xander. Cordelia jumped on his back, giving time to her boyfriend to stake him. Buffy took care real fast of the other ones.  
  
On their side, Mystique was quickly tireing. She was one against three other mutants...or so the young X-Men thought. When Icemen tried to freeze the blue woman, a flame appeared from nowhere and turned the ice to water. Turning around, he came face to face with Pyro. The two boys were exact opposite. Rogue and Wildcat fought against Mystique while Iceman took care of Pyro.   
  
After a few moments, the slayerettes jumped into action and helped their new found friends. Everyone was occupied...too occupied to notice that Wildcat was slumped on the ground.  
  
As fast as the attack had come, it ended. Mystique and Pyro left quickly, leaving a bunch of teenagers a bit confused. "Why did they left?" Xander asked. "Not that I am complaining but..."  
  
Rogue cut him off. "Where's Wildcat?"   
  
They looked around, in the alley, called her out, but nothing. No sign of Willow. Buffy sighed. "Just great."  
  
Willow had disapeared.  
  
Part 3  
  
"I'm not sure I want to be there when we tell him," Cordelia said, panting a bit.  
  
"Come on, Cordy! Faster!" Xander told her, turning around.  
  
"I would like to see you running with heels," she muttered. The slayerettes and the two mutants were running to the X-Men's house. While doing that, they tried to fing a way to tell Wolverine that Wildcat had been kidnapped without receiving his wrath... or at least not be in his path for awhile.  
  
Rogue catched her breath before saying, "I don't understand this guy. Magneto's bright. Why would he go and capture Wildcat? I mean, if I wanted to accomplish something without losing any parts of my anatomy, I wouldn't kidnap Logan's girlfriend. He must have a death wish."  
  
"No kidding," Iceman said, trying to hide a giggle. They finally reached the front door. "So...hum... who's going to tell him?" he asked. Buffy and Cordelia looked at each other as Xander suddenly found his shoes exciting.  
  
"I will," Rogue told him, knowing she was the most familiar with Wolverine and his "charming" character. [Those damned claws of him!]  
  
Xander snapped out of his special place and shook Rogue's hand. "Well, I was happy to meet you. Rest in peace."  
  
"Ha! Ha! Really funny!"  
  
"Seriously, good luck with mister hottie," Buffy told her.  
  
"Is there any girl that doesn't find Wolverine cute?" Iceman asked out loud, exasperated.  
  
"Cute?" Rogue asked. "Who said cute? He's a major babe. I love you Bobby, but you're out of league."  
  
"Not funny," her boyfriend told her. They all started to laugh. "No really, here we are, laughing our head off when Wildcat is...somewhere with Magneto."  
  
"Yeah, but it's me who's going in there to tell Logan. At least, I would like a good laugh before getting in his path. Speaking of the devil, I should go in. Ciao!" With that, Rogue went inside, alone.  
  
Cordelia turned toward Xander. "Don't you think we should call an ambulance just in case?"  
  
* * *  
  
1 hour later  
  
Iceman crossed the front door, followed by Buffy and the two slayerettes. Loud crashing noises could be heard coming from the kitchen. Rogue got out of the room and went to the doorway to greet her friends. "We are currently in a zone of turbulences. Please fasten your seatbelt and wait for the storm to calm down."  
  
Buffy smiled at her. "I'm guessing he didn't take it too well."  
  
"Heeeere a big winner! The lady gets a teddy bear!" Rogue yelled with a fake smile. Frowning, she plopped down on the couch. "I told him the news half an hour ago. He's been throwing things on the walls since then. Cyclops is threatening to blast him off. I really don't know what to do."  
  
"Don't you have some kind of psychic mentor that can help you?" Xander asked. All eyes turned to him. "What? I do have a brain," he defended himself.  
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but it's so rare that you use it, we totally forgot about it."  
  
Suddenly, Wolverine emerged from the kitchen. On the way to the door, he grabbed his coat. Cyclops ran to him. "Logan! You are absolutly not going out!"  
  
Wolverine stared at him. "Who's going to stop me? You? I'm going to find her wether you like it or not." With that, he went outside, slamming the door closed.  
  
Cyclops looked at Jean. "I don't know what to do with him. One day, I'm going to lose control and I'll blast his head off."  
  
"Cyclops," Rogue called him. "We've got to contact the Professor. He could use Cerebro to track down Wildcat." She throwed him the cell phone. "Better hurry before Wolvie does anything rash."  
  
"You think he'll find her?" Buffy asked her.  
  
"Sure. Cerebro's a great machine."  
  
"I wasn't talking about the Professor, but about Wolverine."  
  
"If he does, I wouldn't want to be at Magneto's place."  
  
* * *  
  
"Got it!" Cyclops exclaimed. The three slayerettes and the two mutants stood up. "She's in one of the mansions at the end of the city." The five teenagers headed to the door. "Where are you going?"  
  
"We're going to fing Logan, then we're going to get Wildcat and bring her back," Iceman told him.  
  
"No you're not."  
  
A smile crept up on Buffy's face. "So, we're just harmless kids now? You are beginning to think like Giles."  
  
A look of disgust passed on Cyclops' face. "Alright, go!"  
  
Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Wolverine entered inside the house, holding an inconscious Wildcat in his arms. "Look who I found at the city's limits."  
  
Before any of them could ask questions, he passed through them and headed downstairs. In the middle of the room was the cage destined to trap Magneto after his capture. He opened it and put Wildcat gently on the bed. When he got out, the crowd of teenagers were in the stairs. He closed the door and locked it.  
  
"What are you doing?" Rogue asked.  
  
"I found her in a mansion's basement. She was in a cage growling and walking around like a caged animal...ok she was a caged animal but that's not the point. When I tried to take her, she litterally jumped on me and used those claws of hers on my back."  
  
"She attacked you?" Xander asked, surprised by the ferocity of the sweet redhead.  
  
"And, pray tell, now she's unconscious because...?" Cyclops asked him.  
  
"I knocked her up! Happy now? I punched my lover! I thought it would be more easy helping her here than in Magneto's basement when noone knew I was there."  
  
A low growl startled them all. They looked toward the cage and saw a fully transformed Willow. The wildcat was taking control of her body.  
  
Part 4  
  
Buffy flopped down on a nearby chair. She looked at Rogue and Iceman. "I can't believe the wildcat is so damn stuborn. I mean, Wolverine told her sweet things... than he tried beating some sense into her, we all tried the "I'm your friend" scenario. Does it work? Nooo. She doesn't want to see reason." She suddenly stood up, took her chair and swung it into the wall. Little pieces of wood went flying everywhere.  
  
Iceman pointed the mess that made what was left of the chair. "That won't help her, you know?"  
  
"I know," the slayer told him. "I'm just so mad. I wish I could just snap my fingers and she would be back to normal... well, as normal as she can be." She looked at Wolverine who was sitting next to the cage, keeping an eye on his lover.  
  
Rogue saw the look of concern on the blonde's face. "I know. I've never saw him so desasperated. We have to do something."  
  
Something flashed into Cordelia's eyes. "Alright, that's it!" They looked at her strangely as she made her way to the wild redhead. "You know, we're tired of this attitude. Plus, it makes you look too hairy, and those fangs? Please! It's so much vampy. Totally gross! So just transform back to your old self before I get angry and try some of Amy's spells on you!"  
  
Wildcat moaned and fell on the floor, shaking. After a few seconds, she looked up at Cordy with her green eyes. "Thanks Cordy." She smiled at her.  
  
"No problem," the brunette answered back. She sat down on her chair, receiving weird glance from her boyfriend. "What?"  
  
Wolverine opened the cage and was imediatly assaulted with kisses from Willow. "Sorry for punching you," he told her.  
  
"Sorry for attacking you," she told him.  
  
The door to the basement opened and Storm appeared on top of the stairs. "Hey guys! We need you upstairs. It's planning time." The X-Men and slayerettes followed the woman to the libary.  
  
Jean looked up. "Hey Wildcat! Glad to see you're ok... you are, right?"  
  
"Just peachy," the girl answered, a smile forming on her lips.  
  
"Ok. Then it's business time," the telekinesis woman said. "We need to find what does Magneto want with the mutant and why did he kidnapped Wildcat."  
  
"I'm sure he wants to transform everyone into mutants again," Cyclops said. "The mutant may have powers similar to those of Rogue."  
  
"It's a trap."  
  
"What?" Storm asked. All eyes turned toward the redhead.  
  
"There is no mutant. Magneto wanted us to think he captured one so you would come to him and walk right into a well planned trap. But apparently, it took us too long to react so he kidnapped me. He knew Wolverine wouldn't allow to let me in his hands." Wildcat sat down on the table, her legs dangling.  
  
Buffy frowned. "I still say we kick his ass."  
  
"The slayer's right," Wolverine said. "We need to defeat him once and for all. Who's with me?" He gaved a wicked smile at Cyclops when the teenagers lifted their hands up. As he went to the door, he heard the three older X-Men call to him, but it was too late. He was in battle mode.  
  
* * *  
  
"Weapons?"  
  
"Yeah, weapons. You know, like knifes, swords, crossbow, all things good for your health," Buffy told Wolverine, rolling her eyes.  
  
"What do you need them for?" Iceman asked.  
  
Wildcat and Rogue looked at each other and sighed. "Stupid males." The redhead turned toward her lover, "They are not mutants, Logan. They need weapons to defend themself. Duh!"  
  
"We'll stop by Giles'. He's got quite a collection of lethal things," Xander told Iceman.  
  
"Not this guy again!"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
KNOCK! KNOCK!  
  
The door opened to the librarian's surprised face. "Buffy!" Then he saw the redhead he loved as a daughter standing beside his slayer. Slowly, he approached her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry Willow. I was just upset to see you emerged after so much time. I was angry that you ran away. You should had let us help. We could have understand."  
  
"I know that now. I was so scared. But see, I'm here so everything's fine. Want to kick some mutant ass?"  
  
"You bet!" He led them to the lounge where he kept his chest full of weapons.   
  
Buffy picked up her crossbow and a couple of stakes. At Wolverine strange look, she explained, "It's just in case we meet some vamps. I know some of them might help Magneto."  
  
Giles picked up a sword. "So, what is the plan?"  
  
"Go in, kick his ass, get out," Wildcat answered him, smirking. Seeing everybody was ready, "Let's go!"  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy ran to the bushes where were hidden the bunch of "warriors" as Xander called themselves. "Ok, there's three guards at the door, three vampires. The slayerettes and I will kill them. X-Men, you go in and we follow you, getting rid of any vamps in your way. Any questions?" She looked around and received several strange glances. "I know, I sounded a bit too much like a soldier."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Cordelia replied. "So, are we going or not?" She stood up, grimacing as she glared at her feet. "I swear I'm buying a pair of sneakers next time I go to the mall." They crawled silently to the entrance, not wanting to be discovered until it was time. Near the door were the three vampires, walking around like some dogs protecting their bone. "Yuck," Cordelia whispered.  
  
"What?" Buffy turned around to look at her.  
  
"I smashed a bug with my hand," she answered. Xander just stared at her while Rogue just tried to suppress a giggle.  
  
Suddenly, Wolverine stopped the group. He smelled the air then stood up just a little to see what was going on. Wildcat picked up the smell soon after her lover. She crawled to him and took a glance over the bushes. "Oh shit!" She went back down and turned to the others. "Forget the surprised and improvised attack. We've got a little problem."  
  
"What is it?" Storm asked.  
  
Wolverine turned toward them. "There is one more vamp."  
  
Buffy gave a confused look at Wildcat. "I don't see the problem."  
  
"The fourth one is bleached blond, has a leather trenchcoat, wears black jeans and a black t-shirt, smokes Marlboros and looks a lot like Billy Idol. In one word..."  
  
"Spike." The slayerettes chorused.  
  
"Who's Spike?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"A master vampire that once was rulling the darkess side of Sunnydale, then I kicked his ass numerous times. He just comes back again. I thought he would have learned his lesson by now," Buffy sighed.  
  
Cyclops shrugged. "He can't be that bad."  
  
Cordelia and Willow exchanged a look. "He is, Cyclops. Spike is truly a skilled fighter and he doesn't play by the rules...And the fact that he's dating a crazy vampiress who has visions doesn't help at all," Wildcat explained to the X-Men's leader.  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No, it doesn't make any sense. Spike isn't the type to stand by Magneto and accept orders. Plus, he doesn't have a passion for destruction like other demons. He did made a truce with me to stop Acathla. An as far as we know, Drusilla's in Brazil making out with a Chaos demon."  
  
Xander looked at her. "Then what is he doing here?"  
  
A vampire flew over their heads and impaled himself on a tree branch. "Saving the bloody world," a voice answered near them. They turned around and saw a smiking Spike, holding a stake. "Hello cutie!"  
  
Part 5  
  
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Spike asked, grinning.  
  
Xander glared at him with big round eyes. "You. Stake. Vampires."  
  
A confused look appeared on the blond's face. Turning toward the slayer, he pointed the dark haired boy. "What is he talking about?"  
  
"You staked vampires," the slayer said. "Why?"  
  
"Don't like that Magneto guy," he shrugged. Then he saw a flash of red hair. "And how are you, pet?" Wolverine growled at him. Spike took a step back with a smile. "Last time I was in Sunnydale, you were with chubs but dating the werewolf guitarist. Then it seems you ditched them both and you started going out with another wolf."  
  
"Not exactly," the red head replied.  
  
Spike looked up as lightening appeared in the sky. "Where did that came from?" That's when he saw Storm looking at the sky with...white eyes! "What the hell?!" He finally noticed the visor on Cyclops' eyes. But when he saw the red head, it was THE big surprise. She had yellow eyes with sharp teeth and claws instead of nails. Beside her, he saw the "wolf" with steel claws extended between his fingers. "You're mutants," he dead panned.  
  
Wildcat rolled her eyes. "Duh!"  
  
A curious gleam entered the vampire's blue eyes. "And what does those two do?" he glanced at Rogue and Iceman. The young boy freezed a nearby bush.  
  
Rogue had a devilish smile on her face. "Want me to show you what I can do?"  
  
"Rogue," Wildcat warned. "He'll know soon enough...inless he's too chicken to come and play with us in Magneto's lair."  
  
"I'm not chicken!" yelled the outraged vampire.  
  
Moving her face just inches from his, "Prove it."  
  
He took her hand and tugged her with him to the entrance. "Lets go."  
  
* * *  
  
Wildcat, Wolverine and Spike took the lead : they were the only one that could smell someone approaching. Buffy was close behind to feel the possible appearance of vampires...other than Spike.  
  
"So, pet, how come you're a mutant?" the bleached blond asked Wildcat.  
  
"Genetic?"  
  
"Ha! Ha! I know that. How come you're with the X-Men?"  
  
Wildcat exchanged a look with Wolverine that turned back to Spike. "How do you know about the X-Men?"  
  
"Met that Xavier guy once. I decided not to kill him."  
  
"You mean he controlled your mind and made you go away."  
  
"Stop changing the subject!" he yelled.  
  
Wildcat sighed. "Alright. I ran away and ended up in front of Xavier's school. He didn't told me it was full of mutants. Rogue noticed my claws one day and I freaked out : I ran away again. Wolverine dragged me back and I'm an X-Men in training since then."  
  
"Keep quiet, you two," Cyclops hissed.  
  
Wolverine grinned at Wildcat and Spike. He let his claws go out and swung them in from of him, making a big noise of rocks rolling everywhere. He turned toward the young mutant. "Sorry. There was a snake."  
  
Spike grinned at him. "I like you Wolvy. You've got that charming character that only I and a few others have."  
  
Jean snorted and Rogue rolled her eyes. "Don't forget the ass." She winked at him.  
  
"Thanks, pet." Suddenly, he stiffed. Beside him, Wolverine and Wildcat were tensed too. Their eyes were looking for the source of the faint noise and the slayerettes were a bit nervous at the gesture. Spike looked up and yelled, "Look out!" He pulled the red head with him, her lover close behind.  
  
Pyro let himself fall down and punched Cyclops as he stood up. Flames appeared out of nowhere and the blond mutant hurled them at Jean. She dodged them and Spike's eyes narrowed as the telekinesis woman lift Pyro in the air and made him fly across the cave. Someone kicked him from behind and he spraled across the floor. He lift up his head to see a blue scale covered mutant fighting with the redhead and Wolverine.   
  
Buffy didn't know whom side to go : kick Pyro's ass with the older members of the X-Men team or help Wildcat and her lover beat the crap out of Mystique? Faith didn't let her chose as her slayer senses went crazy. "Just great," she muttered.  
  
A group of about seven vampires circled the slayerettes. "Lucky, aren't we?" one of them asked, grining. "If it isn't the slayer and her groupies. I hope you're feeling lucky because you ain't gonna get out of here alive."  
  
"Sure of that, mate?"   
  
The fledging exploded into dust. The other ones turned around and froze as they saw Spike. The bleached blond wasn't Sunnydale's master vampire anymore, but the young vampires weren't kidding themselves. Spike was deadly when pissed off.  
  
"We're sorry, Master Spike. But we thought..."  
  
"You thought?! What a joke!" He staked him. The rest of them looked at each other and finally decided it was better to run. A smile of victory appeared on Spike's face and he turned toward a clearly disturbed slayer.  
  
"You know," she started, "I'm starting to ask myself why I even bother to patrol with you killing your own minions."  
  
He rolled his eyes and couldn't control a laugh. He saw the X-Men coming to them, the bunch of them leaving two very dead mutants on the ground. "I think we should maybe move the fight somewhere else. Lets say, where is Magneto."  
  
"Brillant plan, Spike," Wildcat smiled. "And since when are you a genius?"  
  
He laughed at her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe it's your influence, pet." They walked further in the cave, the rest following close behind. "Let's find this guy and go back home."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, you are going back with them?"  
  
Wildcat looked sadly at Xander. "Yeah, they are my family now. But I'll write to you as often as possible."   
  
Taking down Magneto had been surprisingly easy. The mutant had almost all his allies dead or too scared. Most of the vampires had run away, too scared of the pissed off slayer and the dangerous smirk Spike had on his face that promised slow death to anyone in his path.   
  
The slayer walked to her once was enemy. "Thanks Spike. You've been of a great help tonight."  
  
He smiled at her. "Thanks, pet." The blond vampire had talked a bit with Wolverine and Wildcat and had finally decided to go to Manchester with them. He had some talents that could be of great utility in the X-Men. Plus, he would be a great teacher of history because he lives through some of it. Anyway, Wolverine had agreed with Wildcat that he needed some help in the martial arts class : there were too many students for only one teacher and sometimes, they were driving him crazy.  
  
Finally, the X-Men waved back at the slayerettes as they made their way to the airport. The redhead once called Willow had promised to visit sometimes and bring Rogue and Iceman with her.   
  
In the plane, they took their seat, Spike next to Wildcat and Wolverine. "So, when is the next time we kick some mutant ass?" 


	3. Feel the Power

IMPORTANT!!!! This part of the Evolution series is actually incomplete, meaning I haven't finished it yet. When I update, it won't be a new part but actually the same old third part of the series with the new chapters added. You'll have to scroll down the page to find where you were last.  
  
  
Part One  
  
JANUARY 2003  
NEW YORK STATE  
  
There was a school at the end of a lost road in the woods outside of New York. At the end of the road a visitor could see a high rock fence with a small inscription beside the two metal gates :   
XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS  
  
The principal was Charles Xavier, an old man that provided all the financial needs of the students and teachers. He curently sat in his weelchair and showed some teens diagrams on the board. It was a electrical circuit, very basic physics.   
  
In an other part of the school, two supernatural beings were fighting under the very attentive eyes of their public. The two of them were tall and muscular. One had dark hair, the other, light one. The two were older than they appeared to be. And just to make the list of similarities continue on and on, they shared the same lover, a cute little red head.  
  
In the basement, a series of highly protected doors and hidden passageways lead to a complete lab. There, near the table, were standing two women, one younger than the other. The first one was black with striking white hair, the second wore long gloves and had two spot of white in her brown hair. A book on physical energy lay opened before them.  
  
On the ground level, the main hall lead to a small cafeteria. Near the fridges stood two of the older students, or X-Men in training, a blond boy and a red haired girl. "You know, I don't even want to know what they put in those FROZEN lunch for microwave," the girl said in a teasing voice. The boy glared at her when she continued. "At least, I'm sure it's better for my wealth then Mr. Freeze." She laughed out loud and the boy finally gave out too.  
  
SAME TIME  
BAHAMAS  
  
A brown haired woman was laying on her back on a towel spred on the white sand of the beach. A man with red sunglasses coming out of the sea looked at her long tanned legs. He got to where she was laying and sat down on his own towel next to her. The woman turned toward him. "Maybe we should take vacation like that more than once per year... or lesser than that since it is my first vacation ever." The guy laughed and slapped her leg lightly.  
  
* * *  
  
"We've got two mutants on our tracer, sir."  
  
An old man came toward the small guy that worked on the tracer. "Where are they?"  
  
"The two of them are on a beach a couple of miles from here. Should I deploy the team?"  
  
A gleam of pleasure appeared in the older man eyes and he nodded. "Oh yeah! Bring them back and put them with the others in the basement."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
* * *  
  
Jean suddenly sat up on her towel. She looked around her in distress. Cyclops looked at her strangely. "What is it, Jean?"  
  
The brown haired woman shook her head. "I don't know. ' Just had a weird feeling, that's all." But still, she tried to see something through the trees behind them. She saw something metallic flash because of the sun. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh shit! Up!" She pulled Cyclops up with her, just giving him the time to see the same thing as her. They ran to the path that led back to the hotel.   
  
Cyclops looked in the bag he'd grab when standing up. "Damn!"  
  
Jean turned her head. "What is it, Scott?"  
  
He cursed again under his breath. "I forgot my visor in our room."  
  
"Than run faster and we will get it faster!" she yelled. She accelerated her rythm. She screamed when something came out from the forest just in front of them. It was a car. Some guy ran toward her but Cyclops tackled him from the side. Jean looked back at the car and saw one of the men leveled a dart gun at her. She lift up her hand just as he pulled the trigger. The dart stopped right in front of her face, turned around and went straight back to the 'owner' of it. He fell asleep immediatly. She never saw the woman with an hypodermic needle come behind her until she felt it in her neck. [Professor!] She fell to the ground, unconscious.  
  
Cyclops stopped beating the guy to a pulp and started toward Jean when another man with a dart gun stepped out of the trees. He felt the dart enter his chest just before slipping asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Wildcat suddenly stopped laughing at Iceman when she felt something go through her. She closed her eyes and heard it : [Professor!] It was like a plead and it was Jean's voice. Startled, the red head opened her eyes and dropped her lunch down. She turned toward the boy beside her. "Professor's office. Now!" She ran out the cafeteria down the main hall directly to the gym class and burst through the door... litterally. Pieces of wood flew everywhere but she didn't even noticed, nor did she saw the students looking at her strangely.   
  
Without any explanation, she grabbed Spike and Wolverine's hand and pulled them behind her. They did their best to keep up with her but the fear in her was making the wildcat in control and her speed was too great even for them. Spike tried to ask her what was going on. "Red, was is it?"  
  
She didn't turned her head. "Shut up, run and you'll know!" she yelled. She just kept on running.   
  
The door to Xavier's office was already opened. Last time there was an emergency meeting and they'd kept it closed, Wildcat had burst through it and the office had been opened for a couple of days. She entered the office in a hurry and saw that Storm, Rogue and Iceman were already there. Two tired body bumped in her and she glared at them. "Sit down you two! You look ready to drop." When they did nothing, she pointed the chairs. "Sit!" They sat down.   
  
Rogue chuckled. "Do they roll over and play dead too?" she couldn't help but ask.  
  
Wolverine grinned. "Spike's already dead."  
  
The blond vampire pouted than faced Rogue and flashed her a smile. "It depends on the reward."  
  
Rogue heard Wildcat gasp and laughed out loud. Those three always teased each other. It was in their nature it seemed. Spike was a vampire, so it seemed normal that he always made sexually tinged jokes. A vampire was overly sexed by definition. Wildcat and Wolverine were 'beast' in a way. Their mutation made them in some king of animal. They were running on instinct. Everybody knew the three of them were 'together'. It wasn't a secret and nobody really cared anyway. After all, it was mutants in this school so a threesome wasn't very abnormal in this atmosphere.  
  
Xavier looked at the small redhead. "You felt it didn't you, Willow?"   
  
"Yeah. Before I came here about two or three years ago, I was into witchcraft, I told you that. I've still got some power even if I stopped practicing."  
  
The others looked puzzled, exchanging glances. "What happened?" Storm asked.  
  
Wildcat looked at the other oldest X-Men that had been friend with Jean and Cyclops for years. "We received a distress call by telepathy a couple of minutes ago. Jean sent it."  
  
Silence.   
  
Xavier's broke it. "I'll plug myself to Cerebro. I'll do my best to find them. It may be vague since they are far away, but it's a start. Willow, I want you on the net. Try to find anything, everything on what happened to them. Bobby, I'd like for you to make a call in Sunnydale to see if is anything prophetic or demonic. Rogue, Logan, Spike, bring equipment and weapons in the basement just in case we have to leave in a hurry."  
  
Spike stood up. "I just have a phone call to make before I do that. Start ahead and I'll join the two of you as soon as I'm finished." He headed toward his room, Rogue and Wolverine toward the training room, Wildcat toward the computer room, Iceman to the public phones and Storm with the professor to the secret passageway that lead to the basement.  
  
* * *  
  
LATER THAT NIGHT  
COMPUTER ROOM  
  
"Here's the deal," Wildcat explained, facing the other X-Men from this morning meeting. "Professor's try on Cerebro was successful but very vague. The only thing we know is that they are still on Bahamas island. My research on the net came up with a big fat zero. There's absolutly nothing about it on the net. Iceman made a call to Giles in Sunnydale and it wasn't very fruitful either on the side of the Hellmouth research center. Giles says there's no prophecy for the moment and there's no powerful event in the south. So I'd say it is not something that scares the demonic population or the rumor would have made its way up to Willy's bar. As for the good news, the jet is ready as well as our small weaponry that might be useful on a rescue mission. I thought we could go there and search on the Bahamas island. The problem is we have nowhere to stay because we don't have any connection there, no house and I doubt there is place for all of us in an hotel, so that isn't such a good idea after all."  
  
Spike stood up and walked beside her. "Then maybe I can bring some hope... or not if you consider the news." All heads turned toward him. "I made a phone call in South america this morning. My contact has a house on the island and is willing for us to use it on the condition that he is allowed to help us. The other thing, not so good this one, is that it's a demonic/mutant thing going on. None threatening to the world. That's why there is no rumor about what happened to Jean and the pillock, I mean Cyclops."  
  
Xavier thought for a few moments, then agreed. "I suggest you get on that jet and bring the two love birds back home. Good luck!"  
  
They walked to the basement in direction of the jet. Wolverine stayed in the back with Spike. "Who did you call, Blondie?" he whispered so the red head couldn't hear him.  
  
The vampire whispered back. "Drusilla's new demon lover."  
  
Wolverine chuckled. "I'd say it's going to be fun seing Willow's reaction when she sees her."  
  
"Indeed." The two men shared a smile.  
  
  
Part Two  
  
"Ok, we've got two hours before getting there," Storm said.  
  
Wildcat jumped on Spike that was still sitting on his seat. She attacked his mouth almost immediatly and the vampire sighed in pleasure. The red head let his lips go and looked him in his eyes. "Spike, is there something you should tell me?"  
  
The vampire gulped and looked for Wolverine in panic. [Come on, Wolvie. I need rescue here or our little love nest will lose his third partner.] When he still didn't see him, Spike sighed. "What do you want to know, pet?" he asked softly.  
  
"Who did you call?" she asked curiously.   
  
He groaned. [Great.] He looked at her in defeat, pleading with his eyes. She pouted. He laughed out loud like he always did when she pouted. It was then that he knew she probably already knew who he called. She just wanted him to be honest with her. "I called Marco. He's at the Bahamas at the moment. When I told him what happened, he invited us in his house."  
  
Wildcat smiled at him. "There. It wasn't so tough after all, was it?" She kissed him again more openly this time. She felt his hand tangle in her hair, bringing her closer to him. She slipped her tongue in when he opened his mouth.   
  
Spike felt her hand slip under his shirt and groaned. He pressed himself against her and she moaned in his mouth. Someone cough near from the two lovers. Wildcat jumped out from Spike's lap. "Rogue! What are you doing here?"  
  
The young mutant arched an eyebrow. "Watching you kiss him."  
  
"Ok, that's what I call a direct answer," Wildcat laughed. "Come on, mutant girl, lets talk about girlie things Spike probably doesn't want to hear." She took Rogue's arms and pulled her with her.  
  
Spike watched her go and smile to himself. He felt more happy than he had ever felt before. First, it had been Cecile... that had been a complete disaster. Then Drusilla. Sure she was beautiful but she was nuts thanks to her *daddy*. When he'd gone back to Brazil after that thing about love spell and drunk vampire, he couldn't get Willow, the shy hacker, out of his head. And he was so frustrated about the two boys that were tugging for her. That had been about a week or so before she ran away. Than he'd come back to SunnyHell again to beat the hell out that freak Magneto. When he'd seen the redhead, his attraction had come back like a tidal wave. But then again, she was with the fury mutant. But the first time he spoke with him, he immediatly felt the connection. They were so much alike. Everything... but not about the dead part. A couple of weeks after he'd moved to New York with them, they included him in their *couple*. It was the perfect match. The rest was history.  
  
* * *  
  
Wildcat was getting down the stairs of the jet when she saw her. She froze where she stood. Someone pushed her a bit. "Come on Wildcat, get down!" Iceman called to her.  
  
The red head shot a look at him but continued none the less to get down the stairs. At the bottom, Rogue joined her. "You ok Red?"  
  
Wildcat finally let go of Drusilla's eyes and looked at her friend. "I don't know. What if Dru decides she wants Spike back?"  
  
"I won't dear."  
  
Wildcat jumped in surprise and turned around to see the crazed vampire looking curiously at her and Rogue, examining them. "Hum, ok," she said, not really knowing what to answer to that. She started to get very uncomfortable when Drusilla didn't stop staring.   
  
The vampiress looked at the two mutant girls before her. She reached for them with both hands and they both jumped when her cold hands touched them. She stroked their cheeks and cocked her head to the side. She smiled. "Pretty. Come with me, pets." She took their hand in hers and pulled them gently behind her.  
  
Rogue turned her face toward Wildcat and shot her a worried look. "She touched me and nothing happened," she whispered.  
  
The red head shrugged. "Don't fret. She's a vampire. She's dead. She doesn't have the kind of energy you... well... steal." Rogue nodded in understanding.  
  
Not far from there, Wolverine watched the two girls with the crazed vampire. He turned back toward Spike who was grinning. "Should that worry me?" he asked the blond vampire.  
  
"Not at all," Spike answered him. "Dru took a fancy in them so they'll be treated like queens."   
  
An arm appeared around their shoulder. "Spike, old boy! How are you doing?"  
  
The vampire faced toward the voice and grinned. "Marco, you old coot! That's Wolvie. Wolvie, Marco."  
  
Marco smiled at the cautious mutant and shook his hand. "Welcome to the Bahamas. Follow the guide." He walked to the hidden path in the jungle, just beside the private landing site. Spike and Wolverine followed Marco, the rest of the X-Men trailing behind them.  
  
* * *  
  
Two mutants and a vampire sat close together. Near from them, a black woman with white hair stood near a window. In another corner, two other mutants sat close, but not actually touching. In the middle of the room stood two vampires, one clutching a doll, the other reading a piece of paper.  
  
Marco looked up from the sheet one of his minions had just brought him. [This is so not good.] He sighed. "I know what happened to your friends."  
  
All heads turned toward him. Silence.  
  
"I sent my men looking around for informations. Apparently, there are a mutant and a demon association on the island. Nobody heard about it because it is no threat to demons and humans... only to mutants. The mutant is a guy who thrive on mutant energy. He uses it to his on profit. As for his partner, it's a Syphon demon. He needs energy to survive and mutant one is more powerful than human's. It's an advantages for him to 'suck' mutants then."  
  
Storm gulped. She tried her best to not look disturbed. "So they could already be dead," she stated.  
  
"No," Drusilla said, surprising everyone. She brought the doll close to her ear and listened. "Miss Edith tells me the bad men already have other mutants. They won't be needed for another few days."  
  
Wildcat stood up. "Than we shall use those few days well."  
  
* * *  
  
In a damp basement, dark, with no windows no lights, sat huddled together two of the X-Men crew. Cyclops looked down at Jean and squeezed her hand gently. "We're going to get out."  
  
The woman smiled up at him. "They're doing their best, I'm sure. But they must hurry..."  
  
  
Part three  
  
Spike walked down the hall in direction of the gym where most of the X-Men were. They needed to train harder than before and he was needed as a sparring partner. He saw Drusilla waiting beside the door to the gym. She was looking straight at him but what troubled him the most was that her eyes weren't as wild as before. If anything, she looked much more sane than when he had left her in Brazil a couple of years ago.  
  
Before he could enter the room, Drusilla shot her hand and grabbed his arms, stopping him. She pulled him apart, a couple of steps away from the entrance. "You have to talk to her."  
  
The bleached vampire blinked. "What?" he asked, confused.  
  
"We need the power to help them. She is the one with the greatest power in here. She needs to get back to work and pick up where she left everything."  
  
Spike sighed. He didn't uderstood a word of what she was saying. [I swear she must have been the one who wrote prophesy in another life.] He shook his head. "Dru, I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?"  
  
She smiled. "A powerful sorceress would be a great advantage for us. More precisely, a redhaired sorceress." She left him on those words. She took the stairs to the second floor.  
  
* * *  
  
Wildcat stepped on the mat. Behind her, Spike put a hand on Wolverine's shoulder, stopping him. "Let me. I have to talk to her," he whispered to him. The mutant nodded and the vampire followed the red head on the mat for a sparring match.  
  
Wildcat winked at him. "Come on *luv*. Give me your best shot."  
  
Immediately, Spike sprang into action. He jumped on his lover and she dodged him. She kicked him in the chin and he retaliated by swingging her around the room. They kept punching and kicking and dodging each other for a couple of minutes before the bleached vampire spoke. "Ever thought about picking up your witchcraft studies where you left them, pet?"  
  
She frowned but that didn't distracted her enough for him to get her. "Yeah, I mean, sure sometimes I think about it. Why?"  
  
"Well, magic could be of great help to rescue Jean and Cyclops."  
  
Wildcat mind worked furiously. "I guess it could. But even if I wanted to, I don't know where to start and Giles isn't exactly there to supervise my study."  
  
Spike took her wrist in a death grip and pulled her to his chest. His mouth came close to her ear. "You don't need Giles, sweet. Everything you need is just right here. Think about it." He left the confused redhead think about his criptic words.  
  
* * *  
  
Dru heard a soft knock at her door. She smiled, already knowing who was waiting outside her room. "Come in," she answered. She looked up as Wildcat entered in, timidly looking around the vampire's room. "Come sit by me, luvie."  
  
Wildcat took an awkward step toward the bed than sat down. She took a deep breath. "I need a favor Dru."  
  
The vampire cocked her head to the side and looked at the mutant seriously. "What is it, Willow?"  
  
The redhead jumped when she heard the female vampire say her real name. "Sorry for jumping like that. I'm not used to people calling me by my real name except maybe for Logan and Spike who sometimes calls me Willow." She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she babbled to Dru. When the vampire continued to look at her strangely, she realized that she still hadn't said what was the favor she needed. "Oups, oh yeah, the favor... I want to take back my witchcraft training where I left it. The problem is that I have no one to train me. I was asking myself if you could be my teacher. I mean, you don't have to say yes. I would understand if you said no. It's not really important or anything, it's just that..."  
  
"Willow," Drusilla cut the redhead's babbling. "Of course I'll help you," she stated with a comforting and confident voice. Wildcat realized that it was one of the few moments where the crazed vampire was quite lucid. "Can I call you Red?" Dru asked the mutant.  
  
The redhead smiled at the name. It was the same one that Spike used. "Sure."  
  
"Lets start already." Drusilla stood up and pulled the young woman behind her. "It's sunset. Lets go under the moon, shall we?" The two witches stepped out of the vampire's room and headed for the entrance door.  
  
* * *  
  
Marco stepped in the training room where the X-Men were talking animatedly. Apart from them, looking out by the window, he saw the only mutant that he wasn't sure of her power. So far, every one of them had shown him what they could do but that one had shown restrain. She had stepped behind the group and no one had asked her for a *mutant show*. He couldn't help it : he was curious.   
  
He really found the girl strange. She always wore gloves and even if it was obvious that her and the blond boy were in love head over heels, he hadn't saw them touch one time except for the one time when they had old each other's hand. It was giving him the wiggings.  
  
He made his way toward her. He wanted to know what was her mutation. He needed to know or he would become crazy. He saw her body tensed as she heard him walk toward her. When he saw her turn around, he went to put his hand on her shoulder, but someone stopped him.   
  
Marco turned his head and came face to face with Wolverine. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned the vampire.  
  
Rogue smiled at him. "It's ok Logan. Dru touched me when we stepped out of the plane and nothing happened. My body recognize them as corpses. They're vampires, remember? Living deads. I can't steel their energy."  
  
"So that is your mutation," Marco stated. "You steel energy." Rogue nodded. "I bet you can't touch anybody, is that it? Is that why you always wear gloves?"  
  
A pained look crossed her face. "Yes."  
  
"Have you ever tried to try out your power?" She looked up sharply at him. "You never tried to control it, did you?" he asked the young woman.  
  
"No," she answered. "I didn't think it was possible."  
  
Marco smiled. "Well, it may be. I'll look into it." Rogue followed him with narrowing eyes as he left the gym.  
  
  
  
Part Four  
  
Books of all sizes were scattered on the table, some opened, some closed. Two women sat side by side reading carefully each page, looking for informations of some sort. The redheaded woman flipped a page and yelled excitedly. "I found it! I found it, Dru!"  
  
The brunette pulled the book out of the excited mutant's grasp and her eyes widened at the title. It was written with gold ink in an old curving style.  
  
Binding Spell  
  
It was an old spell, older than any immortal. Even the book was older than Drusilla and the pages were turning yellow. Such a spell was hard to cast and it required a great deal of power and concentration from the caster, but it could be done. Of course, the two witches would have to work harder. [Yeah. Work. Such fun.]  
  
"What do we need?" Wildcat asked, trying to get back her book.  
  
Drusilla glared at her then tried to find the ingredients. "We need some essence of...ewww, garlic, a dead rose, vanilla sented oil, vampire blood... how convenient... and... a green candle for each person in the bonding spell. We're going to have to find something that belongs to Cyclops and Jean too."  
  
Wildcat shrugged. "Shouldn't be a problem." She hesitated. "Think we can do it?"  
  
The vampire grinned. She cocked her head to one side and pretended to hear something. "All the stars are singing to me. Miss Edith whispered to me that everything's going to be fine."  
  
The mutant giggled. "Come on, Deadgirl, lets get to work."  
  
* * *  
  
The dining room was filled with laugher and people talking and dishes colliding with another. The X-Men and the vampires were seated around a big oak table in the middle of the room. The only light was provided by dozen of candles scattered around the room. Two minions were filling glasses or serving a plate to someone. The two sets of doors leading to a balcony were wide open, the soft warm wind blowing the drapes. The full moon was illuminating the balcony and the shadows were playing with its reflection on the floor.   
  
"And there was that time when Bobby froze his own foot," Rogue said. "Wildcat didn't stop laughing for three days straight."  
  
Marco laughed as well as the other X-Men. They were filling him and Drusilla about bits and pieces of their life in New York. They had been arguying about politics where mutation was concerned and somehow, they had ended telling stories about the most hilarious things that happened to them. Even Drusilla had a few of her own.  
  
An hour later, Wildcat knew it was time. She shot a glance toward the brunette vampire and she nodded. She clapped her fingers and a minion almost ran to her with a thick book in his hand. The other watched the exchange in obvious amusement and curiosity. The redhead sighed and stood up. "Listen all. This afternoon, Dru and I found this spell in the library. It may allow us to find the two loverbirds a bit more faster. In simple words, it's a tracking program and it connects us together so we know immediately if soemone is in danger."  
  
"So, in other words, it's a binding spell?" Spike asked. All heads turned toward him. "What? I'm bloody old. I know a couple of things."  
  
Wolverine chuckled. "I've seen some of those things," he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. The bleached vampire burst out laughing.  
  
Iceman frowned. "I don't get it."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Come on honey. He's been around for almost two hundred years. He learned some... *technics*. What the *fuck* do you think he's talking about?" Iceman became as red as his girlfriend's shirt.  
  
Storm looked around the room. "I don't know about all of you, but me, I think it's a marvelous idea. I'm in."  
  
Drusilla looked at each of the member of the team and they nodded at her. Everybody was ok with it. "Then we shall go outside." Everybody followed the vampire and the redhead mutant as they collected some things on the way out and then guided them to the hill on the backyard, if you can call it that. Drusilla made them sit in a circle while Wildcat started to place the object at the right place. "Hold hands my lovely pets."  
  
While the brunette stepped inside the ring of mutants and vampires (Marco and Spike), she started to cast a circle around them with handful of salt. She prayed the goddess for protection and guidance through the spell. Then, she stepped in the middle with her fellow witch.  
  
The two witches stayed up, back to back. Drusilla held her hands out and the redhead took them in hers. Not seeing each other, they started the spell, talking together at the same rythme.   
  
"God of blood, goddess of guidance, hear out our pleas. Send to us your protection and your wisdom. Guide our steps in the land of shadows. Bring us the power of the underground world, of the lost and forgotten ones. We seek the power. We seek the bond. We pray you, hear us now."  
  
The wind was a bit stronger and their long hair were floating, creating a wave of darkness and fire. They let go of each others hands and took a step forward. Wildcat picked up a glass and the athame. She cut her wrist and held it over the glass. "Let my blood be the bond to the living."   
  
Drusilla took the knife and did as her fellow witch. "Let my blood be the bond to the dead."   
  
She gave Storm the cup. The woman lightened her candle, than put her blood in the cup. "I bond my wisdom and my power over elements to you." She passed the glass to her right, in Wolverine's hands. "I bond my strenght to you." He gave the cup to Rogue. "I bond my energy to you." Next to her was Spike. "I bond by higher senses and my demon to you." He gave it to the other vampire, Marco. "I bond my knowledge and my demon to you." He gave it to the mutant on his right. "I bond my control to you." He gave it back to Storm and the circle each took a sip of the mixed blood.   
  
Iceman than gave it back to Wildcat. "Hear us now, God of blood, bind us and let the power flow, let us feel the power." She took a sip of it.  
  
Drusilla took it out of her hands and lift it over her head. "Hear us now, Goddess of guidance, let us feel the power of the missing ones. Guide us to them." She took a sip of the blood.  
  
The two witches took back they position in the middle of the circle, back to back. They had to scream almost to cover the sound of the strong wind. But the candles didn't seemed to be disturbed. "We pray to you God and Goddess above and below. Guide us. Bind us. Let us feel the power."  
  
Lightening strike across the sky and suddenly, all the candles were blown out by themselves. Wildcat looked up at the moon and whispered, "As I will it, so mote it be." Everybody in the circle were thrown back and the two witches collapsed against eachother.  
  
Drusilla smiled. "Feel the power." Then she fainted.  
  
  
Part Five  
  
"BREAKFAST!!!"   
  
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"  
  
Wildcat roared and slammed her arm on a cold naked chest next to her. Spike mumbled something than put his hand behing her. She heard the mutant behind her groan. The redhead jumped when the door slammed open and Rogue came in running. She jumped on the sleeping threesome. "Come on, wake up!!" She took Wildcat's hand and tugged her out of the bed. While the redhead dressed, Rogue turned toward the bed where the two maled were snuggled together in the spot where their lover had been. "Come on sleeping beauties. Wolvie, your breakfast is on the table and Dru even heated some blood for Blondie there. If you're not down in ten minutes, I send Marco up with a bucket of cold water." The two guys groaned.  
  
Behind her, the hacker was grinning. "Let my mates dress, would you?" Laughing, the two young women made their way down to the kitchen. Dru was seated next to the sink with a mug in her hand. Storm was making some eggs and Iceman and Marco were playing poker on the table. Wildcat lift her eyebrows at them. Then she turned toward Rogue. "Well, aren't you a little spitfire this morning. What's going on?"  
  
The mutant shrugged. "I woke up this morning with the most fabulous feeling. I don't know. It's kinda like if I hadn't been moving for four days straight. I have energy for an entire ship crew."  
  
Drusilla smiled. "It's the spell. If you concentrate enough, I'm sure you can feel that my childe and Wolverine are coming down the stairs." The vampire was right... and they were coming down bouncing like children.  
  
Iceman frowned. "That is seriously disturbing," he whispered. "Guys, stop that! You're freaking me out!"  
  
"Hello pet." Spike pulled Wildcat into a kiss than grabbed his mug.   
  
Wolverine flopped down in the chair next to his lover. "Good morning Red." He gave her a light kiss than almost jumped on Storm and stole some of her eggs. His mouth full, he turned toward Marco. "I thought about our kidnappers the other day. I think it would be useful to follow them. How about you track down the mutant and I do the same to the demon?"  
  
The vampire nodded. "We'll get on it tonight." He frowned and looked at his lover. Drusilla was whispering something in Rogue's ear and the mutant was smiling, a devious look in her eyes. "Dru, what are you up to?" he asked.  
  
The crazed vampire giggled. "You'll see. It will be a wonderful surprise. Now give me your credit card." She held out her hand and waited for the vampire to hand it to her. Marco grumbled a bit but gave it to her none the less. "Thank you. Now lets go shopping girls!"  
  
Storm, Rogue and Wildcat scrambled out of the kitchen, following Dru to the garage where a car with UV protector glass stayed.   
  
* * *  
  
Four women left the food area, their arms full of bags. The one with striking white hair looked at the slim one with curly brown ones. "Hey, Dru, I don't object to shopping when it is someone else paying but I would like to know why?"  
  
Drusilla smiled earily. "We will need new clothes. The stars told me we are going to a club tonight. We are going to have to seduce a demon."  
  
The three other women exchanged weird look. The redheaded one grimaced. "I don't know Dru. I'm not into slim and horns."  
  
The vampire laughed. "No silly! He looks human. And as soon as he'll be in our web, we'll do a truth spell on him to have informations."  
  
The four women grinned evilly. Rogue had a twinkle in her eyes. "What did you have in mind, Dru?" she asked.   
  
* * *  
  
A brown haired man... or appeared to be a man, walked down the street, hands in his pockets, walking at a slow pace. He was headed toward what seemed to be a secluded but packed club. He whistle, head high, apparently not afraid of what lurked in the dark.   
  
He should be.  
  
Not far behind him, Wolverine stayed hidden in the shadows as he stalked the oblivious demon. He grinned. [So, we're going to a club tonight.] He headed back to the mansion with a determined pace. He slammed open the door and almost ran to the diner room where everyone was. "I hope you're all in good shape because we are all going dancing tonight."  
  
Wildcat turned her head toward a smiling Drusilla and gave her a wicked grin. Spike saw the four women exchange glanced and frowned. "What are you girls up to?"  
  
Rogue shrugged. "Nothing." Then the four women laughed and ran to their room to get prepared.  
  
Iceman stood in shock. "Now I'm worried."  
  
"You should be," Marco said. "Or shouldn't be, depends on your point of view. Drusilla told them something. They have a plan in mind. I'm not sure if this good or bad."  
  
"Well, it's worth a try," Wolverine said.  
  
Part 6  
  
"What the hell are they doing? For God's sake, they've been doing each others makeup and hair for about an hour!" Wolverine complained.  
  
The other men looked at each other and grimaced. Marco put a hand on the mutant's shoulder. "It seems to me it's been awhile since you had a girlfriend... before Wildcat I mean."  
  
Wolverine snorted. He cocked his head when he heard steps upstairs. "Finally! What took you girls so long?" Then he shut his mouth, or rather he stopped talking and let his mouth wide open like a fish out of the water.  
  
Wildcat lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe I should dress like did more often."  
  
Marco looked up at Drusilla and froze. He checked her out, from head to toes. "Dru, when did you started wearing other things than victorian dresses?"  
  
The women burst out laughing. Drusilla started getting down the stairs. "Since we are going to help you. Since we are going to found out where the bad mutant and the demon are hiding Jean and the pillock as Spikey would say."  
  
Iceman shot a look at his gigling girlfriend still wearing her gloves. "What did you four planned?"  
  
Storm shot him a wicked grin then bounced down the stairs. "Oh nothing much."  
  
The men all sighed. They headed outside, still complaining that they wouldn't tell them what they intended to do. They knew perfectly well that woman had wicked mind and they had no doubts that the evening out would reveal more surprises.   
  
* * *  
  
They made a grand entrance. Every male on the dancing floor drooled on themselves while looking at Wildcat, Storm, Rogue and Drusilla. Many of them were already starting to make a move... when they noticed the four men enter the club, shooting evil glares at whoever even thought of making a move.  
  
Storm turned toward Wolverine. "Is he there?"  
  
He frowned, confused. "Who?"  
  
"The demon."  
  
The mutant took a look around the club and saw the demon standing near the stage where people could go dancing if they wanted or when there were special shows. "Over there."  
  
Storm saw the demon and sighed when she saw he looked human. [Well, there's always that. I don't think I'm going to have problems seducing him.] A gleam entered her eyes. She moved near Wildcat. "He's over there," she whispered.  
  
The redhaired mutant grinned. "Lets get to work!" She walked to the DJ for a particular song. The rest of the woman walked to the stage. Wildcat joined them a moment after.  
  
The DJ put the microphone on. "Hey ladies and gentlemen! We've got a special number tonight! I present you the club's new angels!" Lady Marmelade started playing. The four men jaws dropped opened.  
  
Storm walked on the stage, looking bored.   
  
Where's all my soul sisters  
Let me hear y'all flow sisters  
Hey sister, go sister,  
Soul sister, flow sister  
Hey sister, go sister,  
Soul sister, go sister  
  
Rogue was the next to step in. She still wore her gloves, but the rest of her clothes were not what she wore usually. The short skirt and corset was making her look ravishing.  
  
He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge  
Strutting her stuff on the street  
She said, Hello, hey Joe  
You wanna give it a go, Oh  
  
Storm walked next to Rogue and nugged her. She winked at her. "It's working," she whispered. "The demon is completly in our trall." Rogue grinned at her then flashed a smile at the demon.  
  
Wildcat joined them on the stage. "Keep going girls. Lets make him fall to his knees."  
  
He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up  
Boy drank all that magnolia wine  
On her black satin sheets  
Is where he started to freak  
  
Wolverine turned toward Spike. "I didn't know she could look that good in medieval clothes."  
  
"Yeah," the vampire answered, not taking his eyes off of the redhead. "Didn't know those shirts had so much clevage."  
  
Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da  
Gitchi gitchi ya ya hee  
Mocca chocolata ya ya  
Creole Lady Marmalade   
  
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, Ce soir   
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi  
  
Rogue shot Wildcat a look while Storm did her little number. "Spike is drooling on his shoes."   
  
The redhaired mutant gigled. "Wait till they see Dru come in. They'll die of shock. Who would have taught she is such a tease when she wants to?"  
  
Storm walked to the edge of the stage and sat down. She swung her bare legs on the demon's table, giving him a full view of them. She put her chin in the palm of her hand, leaving her clevage opened just a little. [What a tease!]  
  
Four bad ass chicks from the Moulin Rouge  
Hey sisters, soul sisters  
Betta get that dough sisters  
We drink wine with diamonds in the glass  
By the case, the meaning of expensive taste  
  
While they sang the main part, Drusilla started up the stairs and took her place in front of them. The black leather mini skirt and a crimson poet shirt made her look completly... un-Drusilla. Marco almost fainted.  
  
Hey, hey, hey  
Touch of her skin  
Feeling silky smooth, Oh  
Colour of cafe au lait, All right  
Made the savage beast inside  
Roar until he cried  
  
Grinning wickedly, they finished their song. The club was in ebulition. Whistles came from every part of the room. Drusilla winked at the demon before the stage. "It's time for our little game with the demon dude, girls," she whispered back at them. "Storm, he's all yours." They got out of stage and walked to their *men* while the older mutant played the seducing siren for informations.  
  
Iceman was the first one to regain speaking ability. "What was that?"  
  
Rogue kissed her covered hand then put it on his lips. "A singing number for the demon dude as Dru calls him. Now that he is eating in our hands, all Storm has to do is make him drink enough, then make him spill all he knows about the location of Jeans and Cyclops."  
  
Wolverine kissed Wildcat. "You were beautiful, Will." He growled when the bleached vampire pulled her to the dance floor. "You win that dance Spike! But the next is mine!"  
  
Part 7  
  
"Ok, here are the news flash. They are being hold up in a mansion about ten miles from here. It's pretty close. The security is a big zero outside, but inside... it's a fortress."  
  
Wolverine frowned. "What's the catch?"  
  
"They have a detector to find mutants from about a mile from the house."  
  
Wildcat groaned and rubbed her eyes. "That's great. Yay for us." She paused. "We are so screwed! Well, you know what that mean.... Work Work Work!" She sighed. The redhead pulled Drusilla out of the room, muttering a "bye" to the rest of them.  
  
* * *  
  
Lightening illuminated the room and Rogue jumped when she heard the thunder. "I told Storm I didn't want her to test her powers when I was near."  
  
At that exact moment, the black mutant stepped in the room. She heard Rogue's comment. "It wasn't me. I don't know what Dru and Wildcat are concocting, but they've been in the attic for about three hours. I have the weird feeling that the storm is their doing." She stopped and cast a mischevious glance at the younger mutant. "What do you say we sneek upstairs and take a look at what mumbo jumbo they're doing?"  
  
Rogue grinned. "Last one upstairs wakes up the threesome tomorrow morning!" She broke into a wild run to the attic, Storm close on her tail. The two women tiptoed to the closed door and they stopped breathing when the opened the it just enough for them to see what was happening inside.  
  
In the middle of the room, sitting on the floor were Wildcat and Drusilla, holding hands, eyes glazed. The vampire's eyes were black as the mutant ones were white. The wind was blowing around them and lightening could be seen through an opened window.  
  
Suddenly, the two witches sensed something... a presence... or two to be exact. They turned their head toward the door and saw the two mutants looking like dears in redlight. "Oops!" Rogue whispered. "I think we've been caught, Storm."  
  
The older woman glared at her. "No, you think?"  
  
"Rogue, Storm, what are you doing here?" Wildcat asked.  
  
"Wanted to see what had us so scared downstairs. Thunder is pretty loud when you are at ground level one," the younger mutant answered. "Plus, Spike just left me alone. He's been harrassing me for two hours."  
  
Drusilla sighed. "What did my arrogant child wanted now?"  
  
Storm grinned. "He got new toys and wants to try them out in the cemetary. You up to some ass kicking workout session?" When they nodded she smiled. "Good! Because I'm not! Have fun!" She ran out of the attic, leaving three astounded women in the room.  
  
Wildcat was the first to step out of dreamland. "Well, lets grab my mate then we can go try out these new toys. Knowing Spike, I'll take a wild guess and say it's weapons." They gigled and started to pick up their things.  
  
* * *  
  
DAYTIME  
  
"Whoa! Slower! Slower!"  
  
"Those lost seconds going slower could get us all killed, Storm," Wolverine said, quite amused by the female mutant.  
  
"Yeah, but I'd like to be alive when we *do* go rescue Jean and Cyclops. I swear, you drive worst than Deadboy jr."  
  
Wolverine cocked an eyebrow. "I'm never letting you talk to Xander on the phone again."  
  
Storm gigled. "No seriously, you did great." She let a moment of silence. "I'm scared Logan."  
  
The mutant startled. The ever so courageous X-Men was admitting to *him* that she was scared. "What for?"  
  
"What if they're already dead? What if we can't get them out? What if we get caught going in? What if one of the younger ones get injured because of our mission?"  
  
Wolverine sighed. "They're no longer inexperienced teenagers, Storm. They know what they are doing and they know it's dangerous. But look at them! They can hold their own. Iceman is controlling is power with perfection. Ok, Rogue isn't, but she is dangerous to her friends. Just imagine what she can do to enemies. And you saw Wildcat and Drusilla in the attic. I don't think I have to explain to you that my mate is perfectly able to handle herself." He squeezed her knee. "We are going to get them out. Don't doubt that. Ever."  
  
Storm smiled. "I know. I'm just insecure." She seemed to relax a bit more. "So, you ready to another drive test? I think I'm good for another boost of adrenaline."  
  
* * *  
  
"You sure it can be done?"  
  
"Just trust me. I wouldn't have said it if I thought it was impossible. You can control it. You just have to believe in you. Have faith!" Marco said.  
  
Rogue sighed. "Here I go," she whispered. She went in the dinner room where everyone was seated around the table. She sneeked behind Iceman.   
  
The blond mutant was drinking his wine when he felt someone watching him from behind. He turned and froze when his cheek met his girlfriend's fingers. He watched in amazement as nothing happened.   
  
Rogue couldn't believe it. She had done it. [Control the outside. Control within.] A smile burst on her face and she squealed in delight. She jumped on Iceman and the chair fell behind, knocking the two mutants on the floor.  
  
Wildcat took a glance at the door and saw Marco smiling in satisfaction, leaning against the doorway. She winked at him when he saw her watching him. "Hey mutant girl! Congrats! Guess what? You and Mr Freeze can finally practice safe sex!"  
  
Spike burst out laughing. "Yeah, mate! Neither of you are going to be in coma after... the fun! It just breaks the mood, don't you think?"  
  
* * *  
  
"What the hell are they doing?! What have they done?!"  
  
"I don't know Jean. But I understand you. What did they do to make us feel them?"  
  
"I don't know but right now... sure it's reassuring, but it is also getting on my nerve! I constantly feel little burst of energy and I have no way to spend it while I'm trapped here."  
  
"Well, one thing's sure. They don't plan to leave us here."  
  
  
Part 8  
  
"Shhh! Silently you two!" Storm hissed at Marco and Iceman. She turned back to watch what was in front of her. "I swear, we're going to get caught because of those. Aren't vampires supposed to be stealthy?" she muttered to herself.  
  
Wildcat shot a look at Drusilla and smiled in amusement. She pointed to a door a few meters away from them.  
  
Rogue crawled next to Wolverine. "What about the detectors?" she asked him.  
  
He shrugged. "Hope they're not doing a routine check on the ground." He advanced to the door and riped it open with his claws. "Why don't you come on in?" he said to the rest of the group.  
  
Taking maximum precautions, the X-Men and the three vampires made their way in the mansion, going downstairs in the basement in hope of finding Jean and Cyclops.   
  
* * *  
  
A mutant coughed a couple of times. Another was trembling in a corner. Jean was slumped on Cyclops, weak after spending a week in that dump their abductor called a basement. She smiled weakly, looking in her man's eyes. "Their coming. I can feel them near us."  
  
"I know. I can feel them too," he whispered back. He lifted up his face when he heard a guard screaming on the other side of the locked door. Every mutants in the room waited to see what would happen. A couple of them stood up, ready for a fight if needed to be.   
  
Suddenly, they saw a pair of claws rip through the steel door. The remains of it were kicked out of the way and a furious mutant came in. He saw Jean and Cyclops huddled in a corner of the room. "They're here!" he yelled behind. "Come on Jean," he said while picking her up. "Marco, give a hand to Cyclops. He barely can stand alone."   
  
The vampire helped the mutant stand up and held him that way. "You had us worried."  
  
Cyclops grinned. "Yeah, I know. Believe me. I felt it... what ever it was you've done to make us feel each and every one of you." They ran as fast they could, being incapacitated by the two weak mutants. Cyclops had to lean on Marco and Jean couldn't even walk by herself.  
  
They were almost to the door when a shrill alarm rang off. "Fuck!" Wolverine yelled.   
  
Mutants and demons alike came in the main hall from everywhere. They were soon surrounded. Drusilla, Marco and Spike changed into gameface and the demons took a step back. It wasn't unimportant minions in front of them. They knew a master vampire when they saw one and at that moment, there were three of them. The demons quickly left, leaving their fellow mutants fight alone.  
  
"Cyclops! We need a way out of here!" Storm yelled, fighting off a strong mutant.  
  
"I don't have my visor!"  
  
"Then just take off your glasses and make a huge hole through the wall!" In a moment, a red beam of light exploded through the thick wall. They flew out of the main hall quickly, their enemies close behind them.   
  
Just as they were about to made it, something jumped on Spike. The vampire groaned and sprawled on the floor. Wildcat did a double-take. "Spike!" She was ready to go back inside, but was stopped by a strong arm. "Let me go!" She struggled against the dark haired mutant as he held her firmly. She watched helplessly at the slumped form of her mate. "No," she whispered, defeated.  
  
"Willow." She stratled upon hearing her real name. "Come. We have to leave or we won't be in any position to save him," Wolverine told her gently. Actually, he was fighting back his inner instincts that were telling him to go back inside and kill violently everything that touched his other mate. He led her unresisting body to the hidden van. He jumped inside and pulled her beside him.  
  
The redhead watched sadly at the mansion slowly fading away. Marco had taken Wolverine' place has the driver when he saw him craddling his mate protectivly. Wildcat shed a few tears and hide her face in the dark haired mutant's chest. "We lost him," she whispered.  
  
"We will get him back. I promise you. We won't let him die there." Wolverine sighed and hugged her. He kissed her temple softly. "We won't let them win."  
  
* * *  
  
TWO DAYS LATER  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
Jean nodded. "Yes. We must go. The school can't be closed forever. We must go back to Manchester."  
  
Cyclops shook hands with Marco. "Thanks for getting us out of there." He looked at the sullen expression on Wolverine's face. "Good luck, Logan." He and Jean climbed up in the car and it headed for the airport.  
  
On the highest balcony stood a small form with red hair floating in the warm breeze. Wildcat looked down at the vehicle fastly gaining distance with the mansion of her new friends. She heard light footsteps behind her, imediatly recognizing to whom it belonged. "I can't believe I could miss him that much," she whispered. "I didn't know it felt like that when you are away from your mate."  
  
Drusilla sighed. "It is an horrible feeling, I know. But you have to fight your emotions, Red, or you won't be able to control your powers. You can't let them have the advantage on you. They want us to weaken so it will be easier to catch us once we go rescue Spike." The redhead had a surprised expression on her face. "Did you think it would be easy, pet? They want payback. The best option is to let them think we are depressed and unable to work properly. But do not worry. There won't be a single hour before we go back to battle that we won't spend in training, even when we sleep." The vampire put her hand on the small mutant's shoulder.  
  
Wildcat's eyes hardened. "You're right. They're in for a surprise. A surprise that will cost them their lives." With an evil grin, she shot a look west, in the direction of the mansion where her mate was. "In a week, every demons and mutants from here to Sunnydale will shudder in fear upon hearing what happened to a small community of their own established in a mansion on the Bahamas island."  
  
Drusilla laughed wildly. "I have no doubt about that at all. We will have such a grant time." She danced in circle on the large balcony. "So much blood. Death everywhere."   
  
For a moment, Wildcat was once more in presence of the crazyest part of her living dead friend. The redhead looked back at the night sky. [Hold on, Spike. We are coming.]  
  
  
Part 9  
  
PUNCH! PUNCH! KICK!  
  
Wildcat had been beating the punching bag for an hour. She was breathing heavily and she was covered with sweat, but she didn't stop. She was working all her frustrations on the punching bag and she wasn't about to stop. She wanted to kill something and hurting one of her friends wasn't the best thing to do.  
  
In a dark corner of the room sat Wolverine. He had been watching her female mate for the last half an hour or so. He was worried. He missed Spike too, but the redhead had been the one hurted the most. She took it hard when he didn't came back with them at their safe haven.   
  
The first two days had been the worst. She had barely eaten anything and she always woke up in the middle of the night by nightmares. He also hadn't slept very well because he calmed her down after each and every one of them. Two days later, her anger surfaced.   
  
PUNCH! KICK!  
  
For her sake, and for the one of the X-Men, he hoped they would find the bleached vampire alive. He didn't know if she and himself could survive it if Spike died. He couldn't think of living without the blond spicing up their lives. He startled when he finally felt a vampire's gaze on Wildcat and himself.   
  
Drusilla stood in the doorway, face unreadable. She felt every once of desperation, of sadness and anger in the redhead's mind and body. The binding spell sure helped, but even without it, she would have been able to detect the young mutant's distress. It was calling for her. Her soul was calling for help.  
  
A long time ago, Drusilla would have been delighted that a human was in so much pain. But not now. This *human* was a friend and her childe's mate... a childe that was stuck in a mansion where he could die so easily. She couldn't deny it, she was afraid. Spike was impatient and if he couldn't control himself enough, it was quite possible he'd do something rash.  
  
With a last look at the redhead, she left the two mates alone, heading back to her own room.  
  
* * *  
  
~Rogue POV~  
  
I don't know how they can stand it. Their mate has been ripped away from them and yet, they still go on, only keeping up for hope of getting him back, fueling on pure rage. I don't know how they can survive. If I had been at their place, I'm not sure I would have been able to hold on sanity.  
  
I can't talk to Wildcat. I mean, I do speak in front of her, but every word that flows out of my mouth doesn't seem to get through her. I'm worried. My best friend doesn't even smile at me anymore... she doesn't even smile at all, not even at Drusilla.  
  
As for Wolverine, he seems to be in better shape than his red haired mate. He's delt with grief and lost before and he has a stronger hold on his emotions. I can feel it. Even he is worried for Wildcat. Everyone are. She is strong, but we don't know how long it will be before she lose it.  
  
I just hope Spike is still alive, or undead as the case may be. If not, my friend could dive head first in the endless pit of insanity.  
  
* * *  
  
~Marco POV~  
  
Who would have ever thought that William the Bloody could get caught in an ambush? Not me, that's for sure. I was quite confident that we could get in and out without being caught. I was wrong.   
  
Wildcat and Wolverine are holding on the best they can. The older mutant seems to get through, but I'm not so sure about the redhead's state of mind. Dru told me she was barely holding on. She was hurt badly. I know how she feels. Losing his mate is unbearable. It happened to me when I was younger. I hope we'll get Spike out of there safe, because I don't want her to go through what I had to go through. The death of a mate can drive someone insane. Losing Spike could destroy her and I don't want that.  
  
I think I'll talk to Dru tonight. She had to deal with alot of things because of what Angelus did to her before she was turned. She alone could help Wildcat refocus. She already did helped the young mutant two days ago, but another pep talk might be in order.  
  
* * *  
  
He didn't know how long he had been there in this damp and dark underground prison. His abductor obviously didn't want him dead because he was given regularly a supply of blood. He had been scared for his mates when he woke up without them beside him, but now, he knew he was the bait for the whole X-Men team.  
  
After learning the plan of the mutant and the demon, he threw a fit of rage. Anger bubbled up at the surface and he *killed* everything in sight, including tables, chairs and demonic guards. After that, they stopped going in his cell, giving him the bottle of blood through the trap in the door. He hadn't stoped pacing since then. He was dying for a good brawl.  
  
Spike sighed and sat down on the ground. Calming himself, he went deep into meditation, grabing at every magical string in could feel, hoping to get to one of his mates or at least Drusilla.   
  
He could feel them. Rogue was worried as well as Iceman. Marco was trying to be brave and Drusilla was scared. That troubled him. His sire was scared. That was a first. Wolverine was angry. But what cut him the most was the feelings of the small redhead he loved so much. She was angry, scared, sad. She was building a shield around herself.   
  
He was thrown off balance when he finally got to the center of her emotions. There it was. She was mixing up all she felt in a tight ball and he knew what she was doing. She was controlling all her emotions and wrapping them with rage, transforming herself into a powerful weapon.   
  
Spike grinned. [That's my girl!] He looked up at the ceiling, wondering what his abductors were planning and what they thought achieving when kidnapping him. [Better hold on tight. My mates are coming at you at full force and you won't even know what's going to hit you until it's too late.]  
  
  
Part 10  
  
"Wildcat, stop it. You should sit down a minute. You're exhausted."  
  
"I don't want to sit down," she replied in a emotionless voice. "I'm perfectly fine." She kept on punching the bag. She saw the sad look Iceman gave her. She knew he wasn't the only one worried about her. She could feel them. The only thing they could feel about her was anger, coldness and maybe depression. The only thing they didn't know is that it was her who decided to let that be seen.  
  
Drusilla had told her that the demon and mutant living in the mansion wanted them to be weak. That's what she seemed to be at the moment. She could feel Spike in her mind and knew he had figured out what she was doing as he had done the same so many times.   
  
Everyone thought she was going to lose it or that she'd get killed when not in control of her anger. She could get killed if she'd let that happened. But she wasn't going to. She was showing the emotions she wanted the others to see.   
  
Deep inside her it was another history. She was burning with pure controlled rage, waiting to be free at the moment she'd come face to face with the one that had kidnapped her mate. Human emotions were a powerful tool. So, she let the others think she was weak when deep inside, she was in control, ready to explode, ready to kill. She was whrapping up all her emotions, love, rage, sadness, joy, making them the most powerful bomb that could ever exist.  
  
She swore to herself, nobody was getting out of that mansion alive. Nobody.  
  
* * *  
  
The redhead came in the kitchen and all eyes turned toward her. She opened the fridge and took a bottle of water out. She knew everyone was watching her. Right now, they were scared for her and of her. They didn't know what to think. She felt their eyes following each of her movement. "What?" she asked.  
  
Wolverine stood up and slammed his chair back. "That's it! I've had enough!" He took Wildcat's arm painfully and dragged her upstairs to their room. He flung her inside and locked the door. She growled at him and he growled back. "Snap out of it! You're going to get yourself killed!"  
  
"You don't know what I'm doing! Nobody does! You don't understand! So why don't you just leave me alone!" She tried to open the door but he stepped in front of her. She growled and let her claws get out. She didn't want to hurt him, but if it was needed, then so be it.  
  
Wolverine eyes widened when he saw his mate getting in attack position. He only had time to step aside when she threw herself at him. He couldn't believe she would willingly attack him. He knew she was on edge, but he never once thought it could be as bad as this. He dodged again when she lunged for him. He spin around and grabbed both of her arms, pinning her, back to his chest. "Willow," he said in a strong voice. Imediatly, he felt her relax a bit. "Don't let your anger rule you. You're stronger than that. Do I have to call Cordelia so she can kick some sense into you like she did after I've got you out from Magneto's place?"  
  
His words finally seemed to get to her. She became limp in his arm and he saw the claws disappear. He sat down, taking her with him. "I won't let you waste away. I've already lost a mate this week ; I won't lose another." He felt her shoulders shake, silent sobs wracking her body. He kissed the top of her head. "Shhh, I've got you, luv," he said, trying to shear her up by doing his best impersonification of Spike.  
  
Wildcat giggled. "Your accent is terrible."  
  
"At least, it made you laugh. I don't think I've seen you smile these past four days. Don't close up on yourself."  
  
"I've been only doing it to do a big surprise to our enemies, oh lets say like all my rage bubbling up at the surface and giving them a taste of willowy witchcraft." She turned around in his arms and stroked his cheek. She gently kissed his lips. "Thanks for holding me," she whispered. "I needed that."  
  
"Next time, talk to me... and by that I don't mean that I want it to be another time. It's okay to keep rage inside for revenge, but don't let your friends hang. It's cruel. They've been worried sick for you and didn't know what to make of your coldness."  
  
"I'm sorry. It's the first time my mate has been kidnapped. I'm not sure what to do." She bursted out laughing and Wolverine joined her. "Don't worry, Wolvie," she said playfully. "I'll go talk to them... soon. Before, I have some apologies to do to you." She pushed him on the bed then straddled him.  
  
"And what could it be?"  
  
"Me *shagging* you senseless."  
  
* * *  
  
DOWNSTAIRS - SAME TIME  
  
Drusilla tilted her head to the side, listening to something. She did this for a couple of minutes, then her face broke into a wicked smile.  
  
Rogue arched her eyebrow. "Ok, I've had it. Dru, sweet, what are you listening to?"  
  
"Wolvie finally kicked some sense into her thick skull. All the stars are singing, the moon is shinning, the wind is dancing through the trees' leaves..."  
  
"Dru," Rogue interrupted her. "You're sounding insane again."  
  
"...and the two lovebirds are mating wildly."  
  
Rogue frowned. "On second thought, you can continue sounding crazy all you like." 


End file.
